Federal Election Commission Certifies Federal Matching Funds for Jill Stein for President

For Immediate Release Contact:  Judith Ingram August 28, 2012 Julia Queen   Christian Hilland Federal Election Commission Certifies Federal Matching Funds  for Jill Stein for President WASHINGTON – The Federal Election Commission has declared Jill Stein for President eligible to receive federal matching funds and certified a payment of $100,000 for the 2012 primary election. Jill Stein for President is the authorized committee of Jill Stein, the presidential candidate of the Green Party. Stein is the third candidate to be declared eligible for federal matching funds in 2012. The Commission has certified $351,961.10 in federal matching funds to Charles E. “Buddy” Roemer III and $230,058.91 to Gary Earl Johnson for the primary. Roemer, who in February became the first 2012 presidential candidate to be declared eligible to receive federal matching funds, ended his presidential campaign on May 31. Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate, became eligible for matching funds in May. To become eligible, candidates must raise a threshold amount of $100,000 by collecting $5,000 in 20 different states in amounts no greater than $250 from any individual.Other requirements to be declared eligible include agreeing to an overall spending limit, abiding by spending limits in each state, using public funds only for legitimate campaign-related expenses, keeping financial records and permitting an extensive campaign audit. Based on documents filed by Jill Stein for President on July 16, 2012, contributions from the following states were verified for threshold purposes: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. All of the materials included with this submission may be viewed here. Based on Jill Stein for President’s initial threshold submission, the Commission will request that the United States Treasury make an initial payment of $100,000 to the committee. Once declared eligible, campaigns may submit additional contributions for matching funds on the first business day of every month. The maximum amount a primary candidate could receive is currently estimated to be about $22.8 million. The presidential public funding program is financed through the $3 check-off that appears on individual income tax returns. The program has three elements: grants to parties to help fund their nominating conventions, grants available to nominees to pay for the general election campaign, and matching payments to participating candidates during the primary campaign. This cycle, the maximum amount a primary candidate could receive is currently estimated to be about $22.8 million. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign finance laws. The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, the Presidency and the Vice Presidency. Established in 1975, the FEC is composed of six Commissioners who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.