Sec. 16-26. Applicant and participating candidate restrictions.
Montgomery County, Md., Code § 16-26 (2026)
Sec. 16-26. Applicant and participating candidate restrictions.LinkCopy Citation
An applicant candidate or a participating candidate must not:
(a)
accept a private contribution from any group or organization, including a political action committee, a corporation, a labor organization, or a State or local central committee of a political party, except that an applicant candidate or a participating candidate may, subject to subsection (h), accept in-kind contributions from a State central committee of a political party, and from a Montgomery County central committee of a political party;
(b)
accept private contributions from an individual in an aggregate greater than $500 during a 4-year election cycle, or the maximum amount of an eligible contribution, as adjusted by Section 16-23(j);
(c)
pay for any campaign expense after filing a notice of intent with the Board to seek public funding with any campaign finance account other than the candidate’s publicly funded campaign account;
(d)
be a member of a slate in any election in which the candidate receives a public contribution;
(e)
accept a loan from anyone other than the candidate or the candidate’s spouse;
(f)
solicit funds for a State or a Montgomery County central committee of a political party; or
(g)
transfer funds:
(1)
to the candidate’s publicly funded campaign account from any other campaign finance entity established for the candidate; and
(2)
from the candidate’s publicly funded campaign account to any other campaign finance entity.
(h)
Limitations on In-Kind Contributions
(1)
An applicant candidate or a participating candidate may accept in-kind contributions from a State central committee of a political party if:
(A)
the total amount of in-kind contributions from the central committee per election cycle are equal to or less than $10,000; and
(B)
the funds used by the central committee to make an in-kind contribution derive from individual contributions that do not exceed the public contribution limits established under Section 16-23.
(2)
An applicant candidate or a participating candidate may accept in-kind contributions from a Montgomery County central committee of a political party if:
(A)
the total amount of in-kind contributions from the central committee per election cycle are equal to or less than $10,000; and
(B)
the funds used by the central committee to make an in-kind contribution derive from individual contributions that do not exceed the public contribution limits established under Section 16-23.
(i)
Candidate affiliation. A candidate who accepts a public contribution may affiliate with any other candidates, including non-publicly financed candidates, on campaign material if:
(1)
the authorized campaign finance entity makes a direct disbursement to the payee for its share of the costs of the campaign material; and
(2)
the campaign material displays the authority line of the authorized campaign finance entity.