2017 Wyoming Statutes
TITLE 22 - ELECTIONS
CHAPTER 25 - CAMPAIGN PRACTICES
SECTION 22-25-102 - Contribution of funds or election assistance restricted; limitation on contributions; right to communicate; civil penalty.

22-25-102. Contribution of funds or election assistance restricted; limitation on contributions; right to communicate; civil penalty.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, no organization of any kind including a corporation, partnership, trade union, professional association or civic, fraternal or religious group or other profit or nonprofit entity except a political party, political action committee or candidate's campaign committee organized under W.S. 22-25-101, directly or indirectly through any officer, member, director or employee, shall contribute funds, other items of value or election assistance directly to any candidate or group of candidates. No person shall solicit or receive a payment or contribution from an organization prohibited from making contributions under this subsection.

(b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, only a natural person, political party, or a political action committee or a candidate's campaign committee organized under W.S. 22-25-101 shall contribute funds or election assistance directly to any candidate or group of candidates. No person shall solicit or receive a political payment or contribution from any source other than a natural person, political party, political action committee or candidate's campaign committee organized under W.S. 22-25-101.

(c) Except as otherwise provided in this section, no individual other than the candidate, or the candidate's immediate family shall contribute directly or indirectly:

(i) To any candidate for statewide political office, or to any candidate for statewide political office s candidate's campaign committee:

(A) More than two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500.00) per election; and

(B) No contribution for the general election may be given prior to the date for the primary election.

(ii) To any candidate for nonstatewide political office, or to any candidate for nonstatewide political office s candidate's campaign committee:

(A) More than one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00) per election; and

(iii) Repealed by Laws 2015, ch. 80, § 1.

(d) Any organization, in the aid of the election or defeat of candidates for public office or for the adoption or defeat of any ballot proposition may communicate directly with its own members on behalf of a particular candidate or political party.

(e) Any corporation, person or organization violating the provisions of subsection (a), (b), (c), (j), (m) or (n) of this section is subject to a civil penalty up to five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) and costs including a reasonable attorney's fee for a first violation and up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) and costs including a reasonable attorney's fee for a second or subsequent violation which shall be imposed in a court of competent jurisdiction. The amount of penalty imposed shall be in such amount as will deter future actions of a similar nature. An action to impose the civil penalty may be prosecuted by and in the name of any candidate adversely affected by the transgression, any political party, any county attorney, any district attorney or the attorney general. Proceeds of the penalty collected shall be paid to the state treasurer and credited as provided in W.S. 8-1-109.

(f) Direct contributions from any organization affiliated with a political party do not violate subsection (a) of this section. These contributions shall be a matter of internal party governance. Contributions to political parties are not subject to the limits of subsection (c) of this section provided the contributions are available to use as the appropriate party authorities choose and are not exclusively dedicated to any particular candidate. Contributions donated to a political party which are designated by the donor to be used only for a particular candidate and no other purpose are subject to the limitations of subsection (c) and of this section.

(g) The prohibitions in this section do not apply to contributions of funds or other items of value to political parties for the purpose of supporting multi-state or national political party conferences or conventions. Any contribution made pursuant to this subsection shall also comply with all applicable federal election commission regulations governing contributions to political parties. Any political party which receives funds to sponsor such conferences or conventions shall file an itemized statement of contributions and expenditures with the secretary of state within ten (10) days after the conference or convention.

(h) No organization of any kind, as specified in subsection (a) of this section, shall solicit or obtain contributions for any of the purposes specified in subsection (a) of this section from an individual on an automatic basis, including but not limited to a payroll deduction plan or reverse checkoff method, unless the individual who is contributing affirmatively consents in writing to the contribution. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to authorize contributions otherwise prohibited under this election code.

(j) For purposes of subsection (c) of this section the primary, general and special elections shall be deemed separate elections. No candidate for political office shall accept, directly or indirectly, contributions which violate subsection (c) of this section. Contributions to a candidate's campaign committee shall be considered to be contributions to the candidate. Subsection (c) of this section does not limit political contributions by political parties, nor expenditures by a candidate from his own funds nor from his candidate's campaign committee funds.

(k) The prohibitions in this section shall not be construed to prohibit any organization of any kind including a corporation, partnership, trade union, professional association or civic, fraternal or religious group or other profit or nonprofit entity from:

(i) Exercising its first amendment rights to make independent expenditures for speech expressly advocating the election or defeat of a candidate. For purposes of this subsection, "independent expenditure" means an expenditure that is made without consultation or coordination with a candidate or an agent of a candidate whose nomination or election the expenditure supports or whose opponent's nomination or election the expenditure opposes;

(ii) Bearing any portion of a political action committee's administrative costs or costs of soliciting contributions.

(m) Except as otherwise provided in this section, no political action committee shall contribute directly or indirectly more than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) per election to any candidate for political office other than statewide political office. For purposes of this subsection the primary, general and special elections shall be deemed separate elections. No candidate for political office shall accept, directly or indirectly, contributions which violate this subsection. Contributions to a candidate's campaign committee shall be considered to be contributions to the candidate. This subsection does not limit political contributions by political parties, nor expenditures by a candidate from his own funds nor from his candidate's campaign committee funds.

(n) Contributions donated to a political action committee which are designated by the donor to be used only for a particular candidate and no other purpose are subject to the limitations of subsection (c) of this section.