2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 9 - Elections
Chapter 155 - Elections: Campaign Financing
Section 9-621 - (Formerly Sec. 9-333w). Political advertising.

(a) No individual shall make or incur any expenditure with the consent of, in coordination with or in consultation with any candidate, candidate committee or candidate’s agent, no group of two or more individuals acting together that receives funds or makes or incurs expenditures not exceeding one thousand dollars in the aggregate and has not formed a political committee shall make or incur any expenditure, and no candidate or committee shall make or incur any expenditure including an organization expenditure for a party candidate listing, as defined in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (25) of section 9-601, for any written, typed or other printed communication, or any web-based, written communication, which promotes the success or defeat of any candidate’s campaign for nomination at a primary or election or promotes or opposes any political party or solicits funds to benefit any political party or committee unless such communication bears upon its face (1) the words “paid for by” and the following: (A) In the case of such an individual, the name and address of such individual; (B) in the case of a committee other than a party committee, the name of the committee and its campaign treasurer; (C) in the case of a party committee, the name of the committee; or (D) in the case of a group of two or more individuals that receives funds or makes or incurs expenditures not exceeding one thousand dollars in the aggregate and has not formed a political committee, the name of the group and the name and address of its agent, and (2) the words “approved by” and the following: (A) In the case of an individual, group or committee other than a candidate committee making or incurring an expenditure with the consent of, in coordination with or in consultation with any candidate, candidate committee or candidate’s agent, the name of the candidate; or (B) in the case of a candidate committee, the name of the candidate.

(b) In addition to the requirements of subsection (a) of this section:

(1) No candidate or candidate committee or exploratory committee established by a candidate shall make or incur any expenditure for television advertising or Internet video advertising, which promotes the success of such candidate’s campaign for nomination at a primary or election or the defeat of another candidate’s campaign for nomination at a primary or election, unless (A) at the end of such advertising there appears simultaneously, for a period of not less than four seconds, (i) a clearly identifiable photographic or similar image of the candidate making such expenditure, (ii) a clearly readable printed statement identifying such candidate, and indicating that such candidate has approved the advertising, and (iii) a simultaneous, personal audio message, in the following form: “I am .... (candidate’s name) and I approved this message”, and (B) the candidate’s name and image appear in, and the candidate’s voice is contained in, the narrative of the advertising, before the end of such advertising;

(2) No candidate or candidate committee or exploratory committee established by a candidate shall make or incur any expenditure for radio advertising or Internet audio advertising, which promotes the success of such candidate’s campaign for nomination at a primary or election or the defeat of another candidate’s campaign for nomination at a primary or election, unless (A) the advertising ends with a personal audio statement by the candidate making such expenditure (i) identifying such candidate and the office such candidate is seeking, and (ii) indicating that such candidate has approved the advertising in the following form: “I am .... (candidate’s name) and I approved this message”, and (B) the candidate’s name and voice are contained in the narrative of the advertising, before the end of such advertising; and

(3) No candidate or candidate committee or exploratory committee established by a candidate shall make or incur any expenditure for automated telephone calls which promote the success of such candidate’s campaign for nomination at a primary or election or the defeat of another candidate’s campaign for nomination at a primary or election, unless the candidate’s name and voice are contained in the narrative of the call, before the end of such call.

(c) No business entity, organization, association, committee, or group of two or more individuals who have joined solely to promote the success or defeat of a referendum question shall make or incur any expenditure for any written, typed or other printed communication which promotes the success or defeat of any referendum question unless such communication bears upon its face the words “paid for by” and the following: (1) In the case of a business entity, organization or association, the name of the business entity, organization or association and the name of its chief executive officer or equivalent; (2) in the case of a political committee, the name of the committee and the name of its campaign treasurer; (3) in the case of a party committee, the name of the committee; or (4) in the case of such a group of two or more individuals, the name of the group and the name and address of its agent.

(d) The provisions of subsections (a), (b) and (c) of this section do not apply to (1) any editorial, news story, or commentary published in any newspaper, magazine or journal on its own behalf and upon its own responsibility and for which it does not charge or receive any compensation whatsoever, (2) any banner, (3) political paraphernalia including pins, buttons, badges, emblems, hats, bumper stickers or other similar materials, or (4) signs with a surface area of not more than thirty-two square feet.

(e) The campaign treasurer of a candidate committee which sponsors any written, typed or other printed communication for the purpose of raising funds to eliminate a campaign deficit of that committee shall include in such communication a statement that the funds are sought to eliminate such a deficit.

(f) The campaign treasurer of an exploratory committee or candidate committee established by a candidate for nomination or election to the office of Treasurer which committee sponsors any written, typed or other printed communication for the purpose of raising funds shall include in such communication a statement concerning the prohibitions set forth in subsection (n) of section 1-84, subsection (f) of section 9-612 and subsection (f) of section 9-613.

(g) In the event a campaign treasurer of a candidate committee is replaced pursuant to subsection (c) of section 9-602, nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the candidate committee from distributing any printed communication subject to the provisions of this section that has already been printed or otherwise produced, even though such communication does not accurately designate the successor campaign treasurer of such candidate committee.

(h) (1) No entity shall make or incur an independent expenditure for any written, typed or other printed communication, or any web-based, written communication, that promotes the success or defeat of any candidate for nomination or election or promotes or opposes any political party or solicits funds to benefit any political party or committee, unless such communication bears upon its face the words “Paid for by” and the name of the entity, the name of its chief executive officer or equivalent, and its principal business address and the words “This message was made independent of any candidate or political party.”. In the case of an entity making or incurring such an independent expenditure, which entity is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, or an incorporated tax-exempt political organization organized under Section 527 of said code, such communication shall also bear upon its face the words “Top Five Contributors” followed by a list of the five persons or entities making the largest contributions to such organization during the twelve-month period before the date of such communication.

(2) In addition to the requirements of subdivision (1) of this subsection, no entity shall make or incur an independent expenditure for television advertising or Internet video advertising, that promotes the success or defeat of any candidate for nomination or election or promotes or opposes any political party or solicits funds to benefit any political party or committee, unless at the end of such advertising there appears simultaneously, for a period of not less than four seconds, (A) a clearly identifiable video, photographic or similar image of the entity’s chief executive officer or equivalent, and (B) a personal audio message, in the following form: “I am .... (name of entity’s chief executive officer or equivalent), .... (title) of .... (entity). This message was made independent of any candidate or political party, and I approved its content.”. In the case of an entity making or incurring such an independent expenditure, which entity is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, or an incorporated tax-exempt political organization organized under Section 527 of said code, such advertising shall also include a written message in the following form: “The top five contributors to the organization responsible for this advertisement are” followed by a list of the five persons or entities making the largest contributions during the twelve-month period before the date of such advertisement.

(3) In addition to the requirements of subdivision (1) of this subsection, no entity shall make or incur an independent expenditure for radio advertising or Internet audio advertising, that promotes the election or defeat of any candidate for nomination or election or promotes or opposes any political party or solicits funds to benefit any political party or committee, unless the advertising ends with a personal audio statement by the entity’s chief executive officer or equivalent (A) identifying the entity paying for the expenditure, and (B) indicating that the message was made independent of any candidate or political party, using the following form: “I am .... (name of entity’s chief executive officer or equivalent), .... (title), of .... (entity). This message was made independent of any candidate or political party, and I approved its content.”. In the case of an entity making or incurring such an independent expenditure, which entity is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, or an incorporated tax-exempt political organization organized under Section 527 of said code, such advertising shall also include (i) an audio message in the following form: “The top five contributors to the organization responsible for this advertisement are” followed by a list of the five persons or entities making the largest contributions during the twelve-month period before the date of such advertisement, or (ii) in the case of such an advertisement that is thirty seconds in duration or shorter, an audio message providing a web site address that lists such five persons or entities. In such case, the organization shall establish and maintain such a web site with such listing for the entire period during which such organization makes such advertisement.

(4) In addition to the requirements of subdivision (1) of this subsection, no entity shall make or incur an independent expenditure for automated telephone calls that promote the election or defeat of any candidate for nomination or election or promotes or opposes any political party or solicits funds to benefit any political party or committee, unless the narrative of the telephone call identifies the entity making the expenditure and its chief executive officer or equivalent. In the case of an entity making or incurring such an independent expenditure, which entity is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, or an incorporated tax-exempt political organization organized under Section 527 of said code, such narrative shall also include an audio message in the following form: “The top five contributors to the organization responsible for this telephone call are” followed by a list of the five persons or entities making the largest contributions during the twelve-month period before the date of such telephone call.

(P.A. 86-99, S. 24, 34; P.A. 91-159, S. 1; 91-351, S. 18, 28; P.A. 92-246, S. 4, 5; P.A. 94-143, S. 5, 6; P.A. 95-188, S. 4; 95-276, S. 2, 3; P.A. 96-119, S. 13, 14; P.A. 05-188, S. 4; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5, S. 39; P.A. 06-196, S. 55; P.A. 08-2, S. 14; P.A. 10-187, S. 10.)

History: P.A. 91-159 added banners to list of items to which section does not apply; P.A. 91-351 amended Subsec. (a) by applying disclosure requirements to incurring expenditures for a communication and to a communication soliciting funds to benefit a political party or committee and by adding Subdiv. (4) re disclosure for individuals who join to promote success or defeat of referendum question and file certification; P.A. 92-246 amended Subsec. (a) by inserting new Subdiv. (3) requiring communication paid for or sponsored by party committee to bear only the name of the committee and relettering former Subdivs. (3) and (4) accordingly; P.A. 94-143 amended Subsec. (a) by specifying that campaign literature must contain the words “paid for by” or “sponsored by”, amended Subsec. (b) by changing “this section does not apply” to “the provisions of subsection (a) of this section do not apply”, deleting “lawn or yard signs” from Subdiv. (3) and adding new Subdiv. (4) re signs, and added new Subsec. (c) re raising funds to eliminate a campaign deficit, effective January 1, 1995, and applicable to elections conducted on or after that date; P.A. 95-188 added Subsec. (d), subsequently relettered by the Revisors as Subsec. (e), re contents of advertising for funds for candidates for Treasurer; P.A. 95-276 amended Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) to exempt certain individuals from the disclosure requirements of the section and relettered the remaining Subsecs. accordingly, effective July 6, 1995; P.A. 96-119 added new Subsec. (f) re distribution of printed communication that does not accurately designate successor campaign treasurer, effective January 1, 1997; P.A. 05-188 amended Subsec. (a) by adding “or any web-based, written communication”, adding new Subdiv. (2) re requirement that printed or written communications include the words “approved by” and the name of the individual making or incurring the expenditure for the communication or the name of the candidate, and making conforming changes, added new Subsec. (b) re requirement that television, Internet video, radio and Internet audio advertising include identifying information and a statement approving the message, and redesignated existing Subsecs. (b) to (f) as Subsecs. (c) to (g), effective January 1, 2006; Oct. 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-5 amended Subsec. (a) to prohibit candidate mailing expenditure unless the mailing contains candidate’s name and photograph, amended Subsec. (b)(1) and (2) by prohibiting candidate television, radio or Internet audio or video advertising expenditure unless candidate’s name, voice and image are used in the advertising, as appropriate, and by making technical changes therein and added Subsec. (b)(3) prohibiting automated telephone call expenditure unless candidate’s name and voice contained in the call, effective December 31, 2006, and applicable to elections held on or after that date; P.A. 06-196 made technical changes in Subsec. (b), effective December 31, 2006, and applicable to elections held on or after that date; Sec. 9-333w transferred to Sec. 9-621 in 2007; P.A. 08-2 amended Subsec. (a) to include provision re organization expenditure for party candidate listing and eliminate requirement that mailings to promote success or defeat of a candidate in election or primary contain candidate’s photograph and name, effective April 7, 2008; P.A. 10-187 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “cooperation of, at the request or suggestion of” with “consent of, in coordination with”, adding provisions re groups receiving funds or making expenditures not exceeding $1,000, inserting “or promotes or opposes any political party” and, in Subdiv. (2)(A), inserting “group or committee other than a candidate committee”, amended Subsec. (c) by deleting provisions re certification requirement in Sec. 9-605 and by making technical changes and added Subsec. (h) re requirements for independent expenditures, effective June 8, 2010.

Subsec. (a):

Is narrowly tailored to serve compelling state interests and is valid and enforceable. 255 C. 78.