Deborah Clark Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections PLEASE NOTE: The 2016 Legislative Session is January 12 - March 11, 2016. The information in this Candidate Handbook is subject to change. Dear Candidate, Congratulations on becoming involved in public service as a candidate for office in Pinellas County. This candidate handbook is printed with the intention of familiarizing Pinellas County candidates for county and special district offices with their duties and responsibilities as provided by Florida law. We hope the information contained in this publication is useful as a quick reference guide. It is current upon publication and serves as a supplement to Florida Statutes Chapters 97-106 (the Election Code), the Constitution of the State of Florida, the Pinellas County Charter, the Division of Elections’ opinions and rules, Attorney General opinions, and municipal charters and ordinances. It is important for you and all persons involved in your campaign to become familiar with this handbook and the laws that govern Florida elections. As a candidate, you are responsible for all aspects of your campaign – from filing timely treasurer’s reports, to ensuring proper political disclaimers appear on your advertisements, to filing the necessary forms to complete qualifying. Investing the necessary time and attention to ensure compliance with the Florida Election Code can help you avoid making errors that could result in monetary fines and negative publicity. Please review this handbook as well as the Florida Election Code in its entirety for a more comprehensive understanding of the laws. The Election Code can be viewed on the Division of Elections’ website at www.DOS.MyFlorida.com/Elections. Remember, all the material contained in this handbook is subject to change by the Florida Legislature. In 2016, the Florida Legislature is scheduled to be in session from January 12 to March 11. As your qualifying officer, my staff and I are available and ready to assist you. Please call us if you have any questions regarding election laws or the information in this handbook. Sincerely, Deborah Clark Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections September 2015 3 Table of Contents Candidate Qualifying Dates ....................................................................................................................... 8 Registration Deadlines ............................................................................................................................... 8 Election Dates and Election Day Voting .................................................................................................... 8 Ballot Mailing Schedule .............................................................................................................................. 9 Early Voting................................................................................................................................................. 9 Contact Information ................................................................................................................................. 10 Online Resources ................................................................................................................................ 11, 12 Data Resources ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Legislative Changes .................................................................................................................................. 12 County Offices up for Election in 2016 .................................................................................................... 13 Becoming a Candidate in Pinellas County Definition of a Candidate .............................................................................................................. 14 Who Can Qualify as a Candidate in Pinellas County? ................................................................... 14 When Can I Announce my Candidacy? ......................................................................................... 15 Is it Possible to Run for a Different Office After I Become a Candidate? ..................................... 15 Resign to Run ................................................................................................................................ 16 Acts Prohibited by Candidates Paying to Speak at Political Meetings ........................................................................................... 17 Using Services of State Officers/Employees ................................................................................. 17 Contributions in a Government-Owned Building ......................................................................... 17 Contributions/Expenditures and Reporting Requirements .......................................................... 17 Making Malicious Statements....................................................................................................... 17 Making False Statements about One’s Military Service ............................................................... 17 Tampering With or Unlawful Possession of Voting Equipment ................................................... 17 Additional Acts Prohibited by Judicial Candidates Limitations of Judicial Candidates on Political Activity ................................................................. 18 Limitations of Political Activity on Behalf of a Candidate for Judicial Office ................................ 18 Florida Code of Judicial Conduct ................................................................................................... 18 Candidate Qualifying Who is my Qualifying Officer? ...................................................................................................... 19 When, Where, How do I File my Qualifying Papers? .................................................................... 19 What do I File to Qualify? ............................................................................................................. 20 If My Qualifying Papers are Filed with an Error or Omission, What Will Happen? ...................... 20 After Filing as a Candidate, May I Later Change the Way My Name is to Appear on the Ballot? ......... 20 Can I Qualify to Run with No Party Affiliation and Still be Registered with a Political Party? ..... 20 What is the Qualifying Fee? Will I Get My Qualifying Fee Back if I Decide Not to Run? ........................................................... 21 How do I Qualify by Petition? ................................................................................................. 21, 22 I am Running as a Write-In Candidate. Do I Have to Pay a Qualifying Fee or Collect Petitions? ......... 22 Campaign Accounts What is a Campaign Depository? .................................................................................................. 23 When Do I Appoint a Campaign Treasurer and Name a Depository? .......................................... 23 What are the Duties of a Campaign Treasurer? ........................................................................... 23 May I Remove my Campaign Treasurer or Deputy Treasurer? .................................................... 24 May I Use a Separate Interest-Bearing Account and May I Purchase Certificates of Deposit? ... 24 What Information Must be Included on my Campaign Checks? .................................................. 24 Table of Contents Campaign Contributions What is the Definition of a Campaign Contribution? ................................................................... 25 What is NOT Considered a Campaign Contribution? .................................................................... 25 Who Can Make a Campaign Contribution? .................................................................................. 25 Is There a Deadline for Accepting Campaign Contributions? ....................................................... 25 Are There Limits to Campaign Contributions? .............................................................................. 26 What is an In-Kind Contribution? ................................................................................................. 26 How do I Place a Value on In-Kind Contributions? ....................................................................... 26 Can I Accept Cash Contributions? ................................................................................................. 26 How Much Can I Contribute to My Campaign? ............................................................................ 26 Can I Accept Campaign Contributions via Debit Card? ................................................................. 27 Can I Accept or Spend Anonymous Campaign Contributions? ..................................................... 27 Can I Accept Campaign Contributions From PayPal? ................................................................... 27 Loans Made to My Campaign ....................................................................................................... 27 Can I Conduct a Lottery to Raise Money for my Campaign? ....................................................... 27 Can I Hold Fund Raisers? ............................................................................................................... 28 Contributions by Foreign Nationals .............................................................................................. 28 Campaign Expenditures What is the Definition of a Campaign Expenditure? .................................................................... 29 Can I Make a Campaign Expenditure? .......................................................................................... 29 May I Use Debit Cards for Expenditures? ..................................................................................... 29 Can I Have Petty Cash Funds? ....................................................................................................... 30 Can I Use Credit Cards to Make Campaign Expenditures? ........................................................... 30 May I Draw a Salary or Pay for Personal Living Expenses From My Campaign Account? ............ 30 Are There Any Limits on How Much I Spend on My Campaign? .................................................. 30 What is an Independent Expenditure? ......................................................................................... 30 What is Not Considered an Independent Expenditure? ............................................................... 31 What are the Reporting Requirements for Independent Expenditures? ..................................... 32 Can I report a “summary” or “lump sum” of transaction fees from PayPal? .......................... 32 Campaign Financial Reporting Requirements Reporting Campaign Contributions and Expenditures ................................................................ 32 2016 Calendar of Reporting Dates ................................................................................................ 33 Deadlines for Filing Campaign Reports ......................................................................................... 34 Reporting Campaign Contributions .............................................................................................. 34 Common Errors in Reporting Campaign Contributions ................................................................ 34 Returning Campaign Contributions ........................................................................................ 34, 35 Reporting Campaign Expenditures ............................................................................................... 35 Common Errors in Reporting Campaign Expenditures ................................................................. 35 Reimbursement for Campaign Expenses ...................................................................................... 36 Incomplete Reports....................................................................................................................... 36 Waiver of Report ........................................................................................................................... 36 What is the Penalty for Late Filing? .............................................................................................. 36 Disposing of Surplus Campaign Funds How May Campaign Funds be Used After the Election? .............................................................. 37 Money From Separate Interest-Bearing Account or Certificate of Deposit ................................. 37 Disposing of Surplus Campaign Funds .......................................................................................... 37 Table of Contents Disposing of Surplus Campaign Funds (cont.) Office Account Limitations ............................................................................................................ 38 Filing the Termination Report ....................................................................................................... 38 Office Account Guidelines Establishing an Office Account ..................................................................................................... 39 Reporting Office Account Funds ................................................................................................... 39 Upon Leaving Public Office ........................................................................................................... 39 Political Advertising and Disclaimers Definition of Political Advertisement ............................................................................................ 40 Definition of Communications Media ........................................................................................... 40 Miscellaneous Advertisements ..................................................................................................... 40 Candidate Petitions ....................................................................................................................... 40 Internet, Email and Other Technology.......................................................................................... 41 Novelty Items and Items to be Worn ............................................................................................ 42 Advance Approval of Political Advertisement/Written Statement .............................................. 42 Use of Closed Captioning .............................................................................................................. 42 Polls and Surveys ........................................................................................................................... 42 Disclaimers on Political Advertisements ....................................................................................... 43 Party Affiliation and Political Advertisements .............................................................................. 44 Incumbency and Political Advertisements.................................................................................... 44 Statements of Endorsement ......................................................................................................... 44 Examples of Political Advertising and Political Disclaimers .................................................... 45, 46 Language Other Than English ....................................................................................................... 47 Campaign Solicitation Telephone Solicitation, Disclosure Requirements, Prohibitions .................................................. 48 Registered Agent Requirements for Telephone Solicitation ........................................................ 48 Definition of Electioneering Communications Organization ........................................................ 49 Electioneering Communications Organization (ECO) Registration Requirements ....................... 49 Electioneering Communications Organization (ECO) Reporting Requirements........................... 49 Electioneering Communications Organization (ECO) - Political Disclaimers & Solicitation ............ 50 Florida Elections Commission Automatic Fine Appeal Process .................................................................................................... 50 Complaint Process ......................................................................................................................... 50 Political Signs Political Signs ................................................................................................................................. 51 How to File a Complaint Regarding Political Signs........................................................................ 51 Florida Political Sign Law ............................................................................................................... 51 Pinellas County Political Sign Ordinance ....................................................................................... 51 Municipal Sign Regulation Contact Information ........................................................................... 52 Primary Elections ...................................................................................................................................... 53 Universal Primary Elections ..................................................................................................................... 53 General Elections ...................................................................................................................................... 53 Nonpartisan Elections .............................................................................................................................. 53 Sample Ballots .......................................................................................................................................... 53 Ballot Format Primary and General Elections ...................................................................................................... 54 Table of Contents Absentee/Mail Ballots Requesting an Absentee/Mail Ballot ............................................................................................ 55 Picking up an Absentee/Mail Ballot .............................................................................................. 56 Address and Signature Updates .................................................................................................... 56 Deadline to Return an Absentee/Mail Ballot ................................................................................ 56 Requested Mail Ballot - Want to Vote at the Polls on Election Day ............................................. 57 Signing Up Voters to Receive Absentee/Mail Ballots ................................................................... 57 Ballot Drop-off Locations .............................................................................................................. 57 Canvassing Board and Absentee/Mail Ballot Challenges Testing the Ballot Tabulating Equipment ..................................................................................... 58 Canvassing Absentee/Mail Ballots ................................................................................................ 58 Challenge of Absentee/Mail Ballots.............................................................................................. 58 Public Inspection of Ballots ........................................................................................................... 58 Optical Ballot Scanner Used at the Polls Frequently Asked Questions About the DS200 ............................................................................ 59 ADA Accessible Voting Terminal The AutoMark ............................................................................................................................... 60 Optical Ballot Scanner—Central Counter The DS850 Scanner ....................................................................................................................... 60 Poll Watchers Designation of Poll Watchers ........................................................................................................ 61 Poll Watcher Qualifications .......................................................................................................... 61 Poll Watcher Information and Guidelines .................................................................................... 61 Poll Watcher Designation Form .................................................................................................... 62 Political Activity at Polling Locations Political Activity at Polling Locations ............................................................................................ 63 Exit Polling ............................................................................................................................... 63, 64 Third-Party Voter Registration Organizations Definition of Third-Party Voter Registration Organization ........................................................... 64 Definition of an Affiliate Organization (of a Third-Party Voter Registration Organization) ......... 64 Engaging in Third-Party Voter Registration Activities ............................................................. 64, 65 Provisional Ballots When a Voter is Entitled to Vote a Provisional Ballot? ................................................................ 65 Data Processing Orders Requesting Voter File and Absentee/Mail Ballot Information ............................................... 66, 67 Election Results Election Results Provided Election Night ...................................................................................... 68 Unofficial Results and Determining a Recount ............................................................................. 68 Final Official Results ...................................................................................................................... 68 Contest of Election Filing a Contest of Election............................................................................................................ 69 Manual Post-Election Audit Conducting the Manual Post-Election Audit ................................................................................. 69 Candidate Forms.............................................................................................................................. 70 - 100 Vote by Mail Postcard/Mail Ballot Request Form ........................................................................ 101, 102 Candidate Qualifying Dates [F.S. 99.061] NOON, May 2, 2016 - NOON, May 6, 2016 (State Attorney, Public Defender and Judicial Candidates) NOON, June 20, 2016 - NOON, June 24, 2016 (Federal, State, Multi-County, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, Sheriff, Property Appraiser, Tax Collector, Supervisor of Elections, Board of County Commissioner, School Board, Special Fire District and Community Development District Candidates) Call (727) 464-4987 for information about county candidate qualifying packets. NOTE: F.S. 99.061(8) states that qualifying papers may be submitted to the qualifying officer beginning 14 days prior to the qualifying period. However, the papers cannot be processed until the qualifying period begins. All papers submitted before the qualifying period are still subject to any and all requirements prescribed in F.S. 99.061(7)(a) Registration Deadlines [F.S. 97.055] Voters must be registered to vote 29 days prior to the election to be eligible to vote in that election. Voters must be registered with a political party 29 days prior to the primary election to be eligible to vote for candidates running with that party affiliation. The registration deadlines are as follows: PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL ELECTION August 1, 2016 October 11, 2016 Election Dates and Election Day Voting [F.S. 100.061, 100.031, 101.045 & 100.011] PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL ELECTION August 30, 2016 November 8, 2016  Polling places on Election Day are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  For a complete list of polling place locations visit our website at www.VotePinellas.com. A voter can locate his/her polling place by using the “Precinct Finder” application on our website or by calling our office at (727) 464-6788.  Voters must vote in their home precincts. Florida law states if a voter votes in the wrong precinct, the ballot cannot be counted.  In order to vote a regular ballot, voters are requested to present both picture and signature identification, F.S. 101.043. Voters who do not bring both types of identification will be required to vote a provisional ballot, F.S. 101.048. 8 September 2015 Ballot Mailing Schedules [F.S. 101.62] TENTATIVE Ballot Mailing Schedule - F.S. 101.62 *Candidates will be notified if ballot mailing schedule changes. Primary Election (August 30, 2016) —Tentative Mailing Schedule:  Absent Military and Overseas Ballots - Week of July 11, 2016 (Deadline to mail is at least 45 days prior to election)  All Domestic Ballots - Beginning July 26, 2016 (Ballots must be mailed between 35 and 28 days prior to election)  After initial mailing, ballot requests will be fulfilled as received. The deadline to request a ballot to be mailed is 5 p.m. the sixth day before the election, August 24, 2016. General Election (November 8, 2016) —Tentative Mailing Schedule:  Absent Military and Overseas Ballots - Week of September 19, 2016 (Deadline to mail is at least 45 days prior to election)  All Domestic Ballots - Beginning October 4, 2016 (Ballots must be mailed between 35 and 28 days prior to election)  After initial mailing, ballot requests will be fulfilled as received. The deadline to request a ballot to be mailed is 5 p.m. the sixth day before the election, November 2, 2016. **Additional Ballot Mailing information can be found on pages 55—57. Voting at an Early Voting Site [F.S. 101.657] As a convenience to voters, the following locations serve as early voting sites in Pinellas County:  St. Petersburg Office, 501 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg  Election Service Center, 13001 Starkey Rd., Largo  Clearwater Office, 315 Court Street, Room 117, Clearwater  Centre of Palm Harbor , 1500 16th St., Palm Harbor  Gulfport Neighborhood Center, 1617 49th St. S., Gulfport Early voting days and hours of operation are as follows: Primary Election August 20, 2016 - August 28, 2016 M - F, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; S - S, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. General Election October 24, 2016 - November 6, 2016 12 hours per day; 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. Voters can go to any early voting site. In order to vote a regular ballot, voters are requested to present both picture and signature identification, F.S. 101.043. Voters who do not bring both types of identification will be required to vote a provisional ballot, F.S. 101.048. September 2015 9 Contact Information COUNTY STATE Pinellas County State of Florida Supervisor of Elections Department of State Division of Elections 13001 Starkey Road, Largo, FL 33773 Director's Office, Room 316, R. A. Gray Building 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399 Website: VotePinellas.com Twitter: @VotePinellas.com Website: www.DOS.MyFlorida.com/Elections Facebook: www.facebook.com/PinellasCountySOE Maria Matthews Deborah Clark Director, Division of Elections Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office: (850) 245-6200 Office: (727) 464-4987 Fax: (727) 464-6970 Kristi Reid Bronson Email: [email protected] Bureau Chief, Bureau of Election Records Campaign Finance, Candidate Qualifying Wendy Grimes Office: (850) 245-6240 Elections Administrator Candidate Qualifying, Candidate Finance, Florida Elections Commission Assistant to Deborah Clark 107 W. Gaines St. Office: (727) 464-4987 The Collins Building, Suite 224, Fax: (727) 464-6970 Tallahassee, FL 32399 Email: [email protected] Website: www.FEC.State.fl.us Email: [email protected] Julie K. Marcus Office: (850) 922-4539 Deputy Supervisor of Elections Office: (727) 464-6108 Florida Commission on Ethics Fax: (727) 464-6239 Email: [email protected] P.O. Drawer 15709 Tallahassee, FL 32317 Jason Latimer Website: www.Ethics.State.fl.us Communications Director Office: (850) 488-7864 Office: (727) 464-4988 Fax: (850) 488-3077 Fax: (727) 464-6239 Email: [email protected] FEDERAL Nicole Sokolowski Data orders regarding voter file and requests for mail ballots Federal Elections Commission Office: (727) 464-4958 999 E Street NW Fax: (727) 464-4080 Washington DC 20463 Email: [email protected] Website: www.FEC.gov Office: (800) 424-9530 10 September 2015