Ohio Rev. Code » Chapter 3517
Ohio Revised Code

Ohio Rev. Code § 3517.08 (2026)

Expenses of candidate, political action committee, political party, or political contributing entity

✓ current as of May 2026
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Effective:
September 30, 2025
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 96 - 136th General Assembly
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(A) The personal expenses of a candidate paid for by the candidate, from the candidate's personal funds, shall not be considered as a contribution by or an expenditure by the candidate and shall not be reported under section 3517.10 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1) An expenditure by a political action committee or a political contributing entity shall not be considered a contribution by the political action committee or the political contributing entity or an expenditure by or on behalf of the candidate if the purpose of the expenditure is to inform only its members by means of mailed publications of its activities or endorsements.

(2) An expenditure by a political party shall not be considered a contribution by the political party or an expenditure by or on behalf of the candidate if the purpose of the expenditure is to inform predominantly the party's members by means of mailed publications or other direct communication of its activities or endorsements, or for voter contact such as sample ballots, absent voter's ballots application mailings, voter registration, or get-out-the-vote activities.

(C) An expenditure by a continuing association, political contributing entity, or political party shall not be considered a contribution to any campaign committee or an expenditure by or on behalf of any campaign committee if the purpose of the expenditure is for the staff and maintenance of the continuing association's, political contributing entity's, or political party's headquarters, or for a political poll, survey, index, or other type of measurement not on behalf of a specific candidate.

(D) The expenses of maintaining a constituent office paid for, from the candidate's personal funds, by a candidate who is a member of the general assembly at the time of the election shall not be considered a contribution by or an expenditure by or on behalf of the candidate, and shall not be reported, if the constituent office is not used for any candidate's campaign activities.

(E) The net contribution of each social or fund-raising activity shall be calculated by totaling all contributions to the activity minus the expenditures made for the activity.

(F) An expenditure that purchases goods or services shall be attributed to an election when the disbursement of funds is made, rather than at the time the goods or services are used. The secretary of state, under the procedures of Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall establish rules for the attribution of expenditures to a candidate when the candidate is a candidate for more than one office during a reporting period and for expenditures made in a year in which no election is held. The secretary of state shall further define by rule those expenditures that are or are not by or on behalf of a candidate.

(G) An expenditure for the purpose of a charitable donation may be made if it is made to an organization that is exempt from federal income taxation under subsection 501(a) and described in subsection 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(8), 501(c)(10), or 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Code or is approved by advisory opinion of the Ohio election integrity commission as a legitimate charitable organization. Each expenditure under this division shall be separately itemized on statements made pursuant to section 3517.10 of the Revised Code.

Last updated July 24, 2025 at 2:04 PM

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 15 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1956–2024 · leading case: United Auto Workers, Local Union 1112 v. Philomena, 700 N.E.2d 936 (Ohio Ct. App. 1998).
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United Auto Workers, Local Union 1112 v. Philomena, 700 N.E.2d 936 (Ohio Ct. App. 1998). · cites it 5× “R.C. 3517.08(B)(2) excludes from consideration as contributions or expenditures political party expenditures on mailed publications or other direct communication to inform predominantly its members of its activities or endorsements.”
State ex rel. Taft v. Court of Common Pleas, 586 N.E.2d 114 (Ohio 1992). · cites it 2× “092 grant the commission jurisdiction to hear complaints alleging violations of R.C. 3517.08 through *195 3517.13, 3517.17, 3517.”
State Ex Rel. Citizens for Van Meter v. Ohio Elections Comm'n, 604 N.E.2d 775 (Ohio Ct. App. 1992). · cites it 2× “Chapter 119 to administer and enforce R.C. 3517.08 to 3517.14, this rulemaking function of the Secretary of State bears no relation whatsoever to the adjudicatory action of the commission at issue in this case.”
State ex rel. Ohio Democratic Party v. Blackwell, 111 Ohio St. 3d 246 (Ohio 2006). · cites it 3× “153(A) provides for filing a complaint with the commission for violations of R.C. 3517.08 to 3517.13, 3517.17, 3517.18, 3517.”
Freeman v. Ohio Elections Comm., 2024 Ohio 1223 (Ohio Ct. App. 2024). “Under either scenario, “[i]f any party is a campaign committee, the candidate, and campaign treasurer in those circumstances involving sections 3517.08 to 3517.13 of the Revised Code, shall be made a party to the case.”
Ohio Elections Comm'n v. Ohio Chamber of Com., 817 N.E.2d 447 (Ohio Ct. App. 2004). “153(A) provides that upon the filing of a complaint *563 that sets forth a violation of R.C. 3517.08 to 3517.13, 3517.17, 3517.18, 3517.”
State ex rel. Taft-O'Connor '98 v. Court of Common Pleas, 700 N.E.2d 1232 (Ohio 1998). “153(A) provides for filing a complaint with the commission for violations of R.C. 3517.08 to 3517.13, 3517.17, 3517.18, 3517.”
State v. Gwinn, 2011 Ohio 5457 (Ohio Ct. App. 2011). “153(C) provides: No prosecution shall commence for a violation of a provision in sections 3517.08 to 3517.13, 3517.17, 3517.”
Reisig v. Camarato, 676 N.E.2d 594 (Ohio Ct. App. 1996). “01 of the Revised Code, as used in this section, sections 3517.08 to 3517.14, and section 3517.”
State v. Ferguson, 709 N.E.2d 887 (Ohio Ct. App. 1998). “” A dispute arose between appellant, the state of Ohio, and Ferguson’s attorneys over relinquishment of the funds to the Attorney General’s Office, and whether fees of the treasurer and Ferguson’s attorneys could be withheld from the amounts to be disbursed to charity pursuant…”
United States Sec. & Exch. Comm'n v. Crowe, 216 F. Supp. 3d 852 (S.D. Ohio 2016). “) The laws over which the OEC retains exclusive jurisdiction are sections 3517.08 to 3517.13, 3517.17, 3517.”
State ex rel. Taft-O'Connor '98 v. Franklin Cty. Court of Common Pleas, 1998 Ohio 500 (Ohio 1998). “153(A) provides for filing a complaint with the commission for violations of R.C. 3517.08 to 3517.13, 3517.17, 3517.18, 3517.”
Show all 15 citing cases →
— Ohio Rev. Code § 3517.08(B)(2) — 1 case
United Auto Workers, Local Union 1112 v. Philomena, 700 N.E.2d 936 (Ohio Ct. App. 1998). “R.C. 3517.08(B)(2) excludes from consideration as contributions or expenditures political party expenditures on mailed publications or other direct communication to inform predominantly its members of its activities or endorsements.”
— Ohio Rev. Code § 3517.08(C) — 1 case
United Auto Workers, Local Union 1112 v. Philomena, 700 N.E.2d 936 (Ohio Ct. App. 1998). “R.C. 3517.08(B)(2) excludes from consideration as contributions or expenditures political party expenditures on mailed publications or other direct communication to inform predominantly its members of its activities or endorsements.”
— Ohio Rev. Code § 3517.08(G) — 1 case
State v. Ferguson, 709 N.E.2d 887 (Ohio Ct. App. 1998). “” A dispute arose between appellant, the state of Ohio, and Ferguson’s attorneys over relinquishment of the funds to the Attorney General’s Office, and whether fees of the treasurer and Ferguson’s attorneys could be withheld from the amounts to be disbursed to charity pursuant…”
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