FPPC Form 501 Frequently Asked Questions
The FPPC Form 501 is the Candidate Intention Statement filed by a candidate to indicate their intention to run for office. This form must be filed before the candidate solicits or spends any campaign funds.
To search for candidate information and filing status, please follow the steps below:
From the Candidates & Measures pull down menu, select FPPC Campaign Finance Filings. Then, click on the “Get Started Now” to get access to the public portal to search and view filings.
Scroll down to the “Browse Candidates & Measures by Election” section, select the date of the election you are researching, click the button by “Candidates” to show the list of contests, click the button by the contest to show name of candidates who have filed the Form 501. Contact the Candidate Services Division at (408) 299-8639 should you need further assistance.
To search for candidate information and filing status, please follow the steps below:
From the Candidates & Measures pull down menu, select FPPC Campaign Finance Filings. Then, click on the public access portal to search and view filings.
Put in the last name of the person in the “Search By Name” field to start the search. Then, select the name of the filer from the results list. The date the form was filed is listed under the “Filing Date” column at the filer page. Contact the Candidate Services Division at (408) 299-8639 should you need further assistance.
This information is only available in the Registrar of Voters office. Please contact the Candidate Services Division at (408) 299-8639, or visit the Registrar of Voters office at 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2, San Jose, CA 95112 during our office hours of Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
When two thousand dollars ($2,000) or more of contributions have been received. (Government Code § 82013)
County Voluntary Expenditure Limits Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance No. NS-19.40 on August 27, 2013 which places limitations on the amount of contributions made to and received by a candidate for county office.
Yes, the County of Santa Clara ordinance only applies to candidates filing for county offices:
- County Board of Supervisor
- County Assessor
- Sheriff
- District Attorney
Information on which candidates have accepted the Voluntary Expenditure Ceiling Limit Agreement can be found by visiting https://vote.santaclaracounty.gov/candidates-measures and clicking on the document titled “501 and Voluntary Expenditure Limit Log.” This information is also available by contacting the Candidate Services Division at (408) 299-8639 or visiting the Registrar of Voters Office at 1555 Berger Drive, Build 2, San Jose, CA 95112 during the office hours of Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
We recommend the Voluntary Expenditure Ceiling Limit Agreement be submitted to the Registrar of Voters office when the Candidate Intention Statement (Form 501) is filed. The Form 501 must be filed before the candidate solicits or spends any campaign fund.
Voluntary expenditure limits for county offices are as follows:
Board of Supervisors: $250,000/election.
Assessor, District Attorney and Sheriff: $500,000/election.
No, the voluntary expenditure limit does not include personal funds from the candidate.
The total amount of contribution an individual can make is as follows:
If the candidate agrees to the voluntary expenditure limit, an individual may contribute up to $1,000/election.
If the candidate does not agree to the voluntary expenditure limit, an individual may contribute up to $500/election.
As set forth in Chapter 1, Section A-35-3(d) “Any candidate for the Board of Supervisors, District Attorney, County Sheriff, or County Assessor who declined to accept the voluntary expenditure ceiling set forth in Section A35-3(a), but who nevertheless did not exceed the recommended spending limits in the primary, special primary, or special election, may file a statement of acceptance of the spending limits for a general or special runoff election within 14 days following the primary, special primary, or special election and receive all the benefits accompanying such an agreement specified in this chapter.”