Ohio Code 3517.103 – Deposit of personal funds in candidate’s own campaign fund
(A) For purposes of this section:
Terms Used In Ohio Code 3517.103
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
(1) “Statewide candidate” means the joint candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor or a candidate for the office of secretary of state, auditor of state, treasurer of state, attorney general, or member of the state board of education.
(2)(a) “Personal funds” means contributions to the campaign committee of a candidate by the candidate.
(b) A loan obtained by, guaranteed by, or for the benefit of a statewide candidate, senate candidate, or house candidate shall be considered “personal funds” subject to the provisions of this section to the extent that the loan is obtained or guaranteed by the candidate. A loan that is obtained or guaranteed and that is for the benefit of a statewide candidate, senate candidate, or house candidate shall not be considered “personal funds” for the purposes of this section but shall be considered to be a “contribution” for the purposes of this chapter if the loan is obtained or guaranteed by anyone other than the candidate.
(c) When a debt or other obligation incurred by a committee or by a candidate on behalf of the candidate’s committee is to be paid from “personal funds,” those funds are considered to be expended when the debt or other obligation is incurred, regardless of when it is paid.
(B)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) of this section, no statewide candidate or candidate for the office of member of the general assembly shall make an expenditure of personal funds to influence the results of an election for that candidate’s nomination or election to office unless the personal funds are first deposited into the campaign fund of that candidate’s campaign committee.
(2) A statewide candidate or candidate for the office of member of the general assembly may make an expenditure of personal funds without first depositing those funds into the campaign committee’s funds as long as the aggregate total of those expenditures does not exceed five hundred dollars at any time during an election period. After the candidate’s campaign committee reimburses the candidate for any direct expenditure of personal funds, the amount that was reimbursed is no longer included in the aggregate total of expenditures of personal funds subject to the five-hundred-dollar limit.