1. A. In General. A person shall file the registration form required under §B of this regulation with the State Board within 48 hours after the person has made aggregate independent expenditures of $5,000 or more in an election cycle for campaign material that is a public communication.

2. B. Registration Form Requirements. The registration form shall consist of the following information:

   1. (1) The identity of the person making the independent expenditures;
   2. (2) The business or registration address of the person making the independent expenditures;
   3. (3) The name and mailing address of the individual designated as the treasurer or the officer to file independent expenditure reports pursuant to Election Law Article, §13-306, Annotated Code of Maryland;
   4. (4) The name of the candidate or ballot issue identified in the campaign material that is a public communication;
   5. (5) Whether the public communication supported or opposed the clearly identified candidate or ballot issue prominently featured in the campaign material;
   6. (6) The name and mailing address of the principal officer who is the individual exercising direction or control over the activities of the person making independent expenditures; and

   7. (7) If the person is a business entity, whether the person:

      1. (a) Will notify its shareholders, members, or donors of the independent expenditure disbursements by regular, periodic reports issued by the entity or by a hyperlink on the entity’s Internet homepage; or
      2. (b) Will not provide notice because it does not have a regular, periodic report or Internet home page.

3. C. Requirements for Shareholders’, Members’, or Donors’ Notification. If the person will provide the notification in §B(7)(a) of this regulation:

   1. (1) The text reporting the independent expenditure made must be in at least 10-point type; or
   2. (2) The required hyperlink on the home or landing page of the person shall be labeled “Independent Political Spending”.
4. D. Electronic Filing. The registration form shall be filed electronically by means of the browser-based software provided by the State Administrator.

5. E. Registered Agent. The registration form shall be updated within 48 hours after the person making independent expenditures makes aggregate expenditures of $50,000 or more in the election cycle with:

   1. (1) The name of the registered agent for the person making independent expenditures; and
   2. (2) The business address of the registered agent for the person making independent expenditures.

Authority: Election Law Article, §§2-102(b)(4) and 13-306, and Title 13, Subtitle 4 Part 1, Annotated Code of Maryland

Effective date: January 9, 2012 (38:27 Md. R. 1765)

Regulation .02 amended effective June 25, 2012 (39:12 Md. R. 746); February 29, 2016 (43:4 Md. R. 336)

Regulation .02B amended effective February 12, 2018 (45:3 Md. R. 159)

Regulation .02E adopted effective February 12, 2018 (45:3 Md. R. 159)

Regulation .03A, B amended effective February 29, 2016 (43:4 Md. R. 336)

Regulation .06 adopted effective March 27, 2017 (44:6 Md. R. 328)

Regulation .07 adopted effective March 27, 2017 (44:6 Md. R. 328)

Regulation .08 adopted effective February 12, 2018 (45:3 Md. R. 159)