Campaign Finance & FEC Compliance
Our guide to federal election laws, contribution limits, conduit routing, and transparency standards on Vote AI.
1. Regulatory Framework & Authority
Vote AI operates in strict compliance with the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), 52 U.S.C. § 30101 et seq., and corresponding regulations issued by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) under Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Our platform acts as a digital intermediary connecting citizens with candidate authorized committees. We do not operate as a political action committee (PAC) or make political contributions from platform revenues.
2. Federal Contribution Limits
For federal races (President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives), individual contributions are subject to statutory limits indexed for inflation:
| Recipient | Limit Per Election | Election Cycle Total |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate Committee | $3,300 per election | $6,600 (Primary + General) |
| National Party Committee | $41,300 per year | Annual Limit |
Note: Primary and General elections are legally considered distinct elections under FEC guidelines.
3. Donor Eligibility & Prohibitions
Federal law imposes strict restrictions on who can make contributions to federal candidates:
- Eligible Donors: Must be a United States citizen or a lawfully admitted permanent resident holding an active permanent resident card (Form I-551).
- Foreign Nationals: Foreign nationals without permanent residency are strictly prohibited by 52 U.S.C. § 30121 from making contributions directly or indirectly.
- Federal Government Contractors: Entities or individuals with active federal contracts cannot make contributions.
- Corporate & Labor Union Funds: Direct corporate contributions to federal candidate committees are prohibited. Donations made on Vote AI must come from personal bank cards.
4. Conduit & Earmarked Contributions
Donations submitted via Vote AI are earmarked contributions processed under 11 CFR § 110.6. As a conduit:
- All funds are forwarded directly to the recipient candidate committee within 10 days of receipt (11 CFR § 102.8).
- Vote AI does not exercise any direction or control over which candidates receive contributions.
- Complete donor identification reports are transmitted with each disbursement.
5. Mandatory Donor Itemization ($200+ Rule)
Federal law requires candidate committees to report the full name, mailing address, occupation, and employer name for any contributor whose aggregate donations exceed $200 in an election cycle (52 U.S.C. § 30104(b)(3)(A)). Vote AI collects this information during the checkout flow to ensure candidate treasurers have complete records for FEC Form 3 quarterly filings.
6. Stripe Connect & Direct Payouts
Vote AI leverages Stripe Connect Custom/Express accounts to process political transactions:
Funds move directly from the donor’s card processor to the campaign committee’s verified depository bank account. Standard card processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) are deducted transparently at settlement.
7. State & Local Campaign Finance
For state legislative, gubernatorial, and municipal campaigns, donation limits and donor reporting requirements are governed by the ethics commission and election laws of the respective state. Our platform automatically configures district-specific limits based on the candidate’s verified jurisdiction.
8. Treasurer Resources & Support
Campaign treasurers can access real-time CSV transaction exports, automated donor compliance reports, and refund management tools directly within the Candidate Admin Portal.
Direct compliance & treasurer inquiries: [email protected]