Montana Code Annotated 2023

TITLE 13. ELECTIONS

CHAPTER 37. CONTROL OF CAMPAIGN PRACTICES

Part 2. Campaign Finance

Campaign Depositories

13-37-205. Campaign depositories. (1) Except as provided in 13-37-206, each candidate, each political committee, and each joint fundraising committee shall designate one primary campaign depository for the purpose of depositing all contributions received and disbursing all expenditures made by the candidate or political committee.

(2) The candidate or political committee may also designate one secondary depository in each county in which an election is held and in which the candidate or committee participates. Deputy campaign treasurers may make deposits in and expenditures from secondary depositories when authorized to do so as provided in 13-37-202(2).

(3) Only a bank, credit union, savings and loan association, or building and loan association authorized to transact business in Montana may be designated as a campaign depository.

(4) The candidate, political committee, or joint fundraising committee shall file the name and address of each designated primary and secondary depository at the same time and with the same officer with whom the candidate or committee files the name of the candidate's or committee's campaign treasurer pursuant to 13-37-201.

(5) This section does not prevent a candidate, political committee, or joint fundraising committee from having more than one campaign account in the same depository, but a candidate may not utilize the candidate's regular or personal account in the depository as a campaign account.

(6) A candidate for the legislature may use the same account in a campaign depository for primary election contributions received and general election contributions received and is not required to segregate the funds if:

(a) the candidate maintains records concerning whether contributions received are designated for the primary election or the general election; and

(b) the balance in the account that contains commingled primary election funds and general election funds does not drop below the amount of general election contributions received until after the day of the primary election.

History: En. 23-4781 by Sec. 6, Ch. 480, L. 1975; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 23, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 23-4781(6); amd. Sec. 249, Ch. 571, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 98, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 126, Ch. 56, L. 2009; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 494, L. 2021; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 571, L. 2021.