Campaign & Political Finance

According to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, "campaign finance law (M.G.L. Chapter 55) is a comprehensive statue governing the financing of political campaigns in the Commonwealth at the state, county, district and municipal levels.  The Federal Election Commission administers campaign finance issues as they apply to federal candidates."  At the local level and in Freetown, the Town Clerk administers the campaign finance law and serves as a resource for candidates and residents who have questions and/or need to understand the law as it may apply to them.

Candidates for local election and political committees file organizational forms (Form CPF M101) and are required to fill Form CPF M102 with the Town Clerk on or before each reporting date.  Candidates and treasurers are responsible for the legality, validity, completeness and accuracy of each of their reports.  The CPF M102-0 (Short Form) report may be filled out by candidates who do not have a political committee organized on their behalf, have not received any contributions, spent any money, maintained a balance, or incurred any debts.

Reports are due for candidates on the ballot in any given year 8 days prior to the election, 30 days after the election, and at the end of the calendar year.  For incumbents not on the ballot, only year-end reports are due that particular year.  Unsuccessful candidates still have to file a 30 day post election report, but then they can "dissolve" their committee as long as they do not have a balance.  Reports must still be filed for unsuccessful candidates who do have a balance. 

Campaign Finance Reports

Campaign Finance Reports filed with the Freetown Town Clerk are available below.

For more Calendar Year 2020 reports, and for those previous to Calendar Year 2020, please visit the "Minutes" section of the Elections Department.

Helpful Links

The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) provides excellent guidance on this issue and makes the entire process very user friendly, starting with a Getting Started Guide. For that guide and other useful information, including downloadable versions of the forms you are required to fill out, please utilize the following links:

• Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance Website
• Getting Started Guide
• New in 2024: Office of Campaign and Political Finance Municipal Candidates Guide
• Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance Website - Forms & Publications
• Statement of Organization - Candidates
• CPF M 102 Report & Instuctions for completing
• CPF M 102-0 Campaign Finance Report
  Note: this link is for your reference only - the Office of the Town Clerk will have a pre-filled copy of this form for you to sign in-person. Please contact the Office of the Town Clerk to sign this form if it is applicable to you.
• Trifold Brochure: Campaign Finance Guide for Municipal Candidates Who File Locally (Supplied by OCPF)
• Candidates for Municipal Office Guide
• Common Errors Made When Completing Campaign Finance Reports
• Public Employees & Campaigns
• Pubic Employees, Public Resources & Political Activity Guide

For more information about the campaign finance law and related processes, please contact the Town Clerk's Office.