JUNE 2025

PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT MESSAGE BELOW ABOUT LOGGING INTO REPORTER 7, OCPF'S FILING SOFTWARE

ELECTION 2025

Municipal Election Breakdown

City voters will head to the polls in a few months for preliminary elections, and then final general elections Nov. 4.

OCPF filers: When candidates organize with OCPF, banks file monthly reports on their behalf to disclose expenditures, and candidates file deposit reports to disclose contributions (there are other reporting requirements, such as clarifying expenditures). Nearly 600 municipal candidates e-file reports with OCPF.

Local city filers, such as school committee candidates, submit M102 campaign finance reports eight days before a preliminary, if their names appear on a preliminary ballot, and eight days before the Nov. 4 election. Contact your city or town clerk to view these reports.

Candidates are subject to civil penalties of $25 per day for filing reports after the deadline.

CITIES WITH 2025 MAYORAL ELECTIONS

Agawam, Attleboro, Beverly, Boston, Brockton, Chicopee, Easthampton, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Gardner, Gloucester, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lynn, Marlborough, Medford, Methuen, Newburyport, Newton, North Adams, Northampton, Peabody, Salem, Somerville, Taunton, West Springfield, Westfield, Woburn and Worcester. REPORTS, year to date. All mayoral candidates file with OCPF.

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES FROM THE FOLLOWING COMMUNITIES FILE WITH OCPF

Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Fall River, Framingham, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, New Bedford, Newton, Quincy, Somerville, Springfield, Waltham and Worcester. All other city council candidates file locally. REPORTS, year to date. Other city council candidates file locally.

HOT TOPICS

Candidates and committees may not use an ATM to withdraw cash, either by using the campaign debit card at an ATM or by making a teller withdrawal at the bank.

The limit for peer-to-peer cash app contributions is $50 per person per calendar year (such as Venmo or Zelle). As always, the campaign needs to collect the names and addresses of donors.

Candidates may not accept in-kind contributions from corporations, LLCs, LLPs and partnerships. Bottom line: pay market rate for goods and services from businesses.

Use caution when teaming up with other candidates to run for office. There's no official committee for creating a "slate" of candidates. Candidates need to pay their fair share to all vendors by making separate payments directly, if informal "slates" work together.

ACTION REQUIRED FOR MANY FILERS

IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT REPORTER 7 ACCESS

Candidates and treasurers will soon be required to use their e-mail addresses to log into Reporter 7, instead of their OCPF ID numbers (this includes all candidates and political committees filing with OCPF).

If you already use your e-mail to access Reporter 7, disregard the following instructions. No action is needed.

The process:

If you still use a five-digit OCPF ID number to log in, we will send an invitation to the e-mail address we have on record for you.
Click the link in the invitation to create a password.
Log into Reporter 7 using your e-mail and newly created password.
This process will need to be done for each user on the account, usually the candidate, treasurer and any other agent who files campaign finance reports for a campaign team. Each user will have a unique password.

We expect to transition every candidate and committee to e-mail log-ins in the coming months.

WHAT'S NEXT? Look for the invitation that will be sent to your e-mail.

Refresh yourself on recordkeeping rules

Candidates and committees must preserve records for six years after a relevant election.

Records can be kept electronically.

RECORD TYPES

Invoices received, whether on paper or electronic, for purchases of goods and services.

E-mails concerning committee business, including e-mails discussing the rendering of goods and services. For example, e-mails discussing the work expectations and pay for an individual hired to produce social media posts for a campaign.

Copies of contribution checks, if the campaign's bank does not keep electronic copies.

Other documents, such as contracts, leases, flyers, mailings and other campaign materials.

AGENCY ACTIONS AND OPINIONS

PUBLIC RESOLUTION LETTERS

The following list is a summary of agency actions issued recently by OCPF. Click the "agency actions" button below to view the full documents.

Vladislav Yanovsky, Newton: Did not comply (financial activity outside the depository reporting system, use of prohibited funds); 5/14/2025.

Winthrop Public Schools: Did not comply (use of public resources for a political purpose); 5/14/2025.

Khrystian King, Worcester: Did not comply (failure to file deposit reports, contributions in excess of allowable limits, timely clarification of expenditure purpose information); 5/14/2025.

Ann-Margaret Ferrante, Gloucester: Did not comply (late disclosure of credit card activity, excess lobbyist contributions, late disclosure of reimbursement activity, late clarification of expenditures); 5/27/2025.

Newburyport Recreation and Youth Services: Did not comply (use of public resources concerning a ballot question election); 5/28/2025.

Agency Actions

CLICK HERE FOR OCPF'S FUNDRAISING CHARTS

2024 legislative study published

OCPF recently published a legislative study, detailing fundraising and spending totals in the 2024 state election.

Total fundraising for the 312 legislative candidates in 2024 reached $13.1 million ($41,994 per candidate). The record for total receipts was set in 2004, when 390 candidates reported raising $17.3 million ($44,296 per candidate).

Expenditure totals in 2024 reached $12.8 million ($41,124 per candidate). The record for total expenditures was set in 2004, when 390 candidates reported spending $17,640,644 ($45,232 per candidate).

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STUDY