Eligibility
Candidates must be nominated by a major, minor, or new political party, agree to an audit, limit personal spending to $50,000, and meet specific popular vote thresholds or certification requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Payments?
Candidates must be nominated by a major, minor, or new political party, agree to an audit, limit personal spending to $50,000, and meet specific popular vote thresholds or certification requirements.
How does the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Payments work?
Eligible presidential candidates can receive direct payments from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to defray qualified campaign expenses, effectively providing a non-taxable government subsidy for election costs.
What law authorizes the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Payments?
The Presidential Election Campaign Fund Payments is authorized under IRC §9004 of the Internal Revenue Code (Title 26, United States Code).
Statutory Text — IRC §9004
Source: Internal Revenue Code, Title 26, United States Code
§ 9004. Entitlement of eligible candidates to payments(a) In generalSubject to the provisions of this chapter—(1) The eligible candidates of each major party in a presidential election shall be entitled to equal payments under section 9006 in an amount which, in the aggregate, shall not exceed the expenditure limitations applicable to such candidates under section 315(b)(1)(B) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.
(2)(A) The eligible candidates of a minor party in a presidential election shall be entitled to payments under section 9006 equal in the aggregate to an amount which bears the same ratio to the amount allowed under paragraph (1) for a major party as the number of popular votes received by the candidate for President of the minor party, as such candidate, in the preceding presidential election bears to the average number of popular votes received by the candidates for President of the major parties in the preceding presidential election.
(B) If the candidate of one or more political parties (not including a major party) for the office of President was a candidate for such office in the preceding presidential election and received 5 percent or more but less than 25 percent of the total number of popular votes received by all candidates for such office, such candidate and his running mate for the office of Vice President, upon compliance with the provisions of section 9003(a) and (c), shall be treated as eligible candidates entitled to payments under section 9006 in an amount computed as provided in subparagraph (A) by taking into account all the popular votes received by such candidate for the office of President in the preceding presidential election. If eligible candidates of a minor party are entitled to payments under this subparagraph, such entitlement shall be reduced by the amount of the entitlement allowed under subparagraph (A).
(3) The eligible candidates of a minor party or a new party in a presidential election whose candidate for President in such election receives, as such candidate, 5 percent or more of the total number of popular votes cast for the office of President in such election shall be entitled to payments under section 9006 equal in the aggregate to an amount which bears the same ratio to the amount allowed under paragraph (1) for a major party as the number of popular votes received by such candidate in such election bears to the average number of popular votes received in such election by the candidates for President of the major parties. In the case of eligible candidates entitled to payments under paragraph (2), the amount allowable under this paragraph shall be limited to the amount, if any, by which the entitlement under the preceding sentence exceeds the amount of the entitlement under paragraph (2).
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