Tips to Manage Campaign Finance Reports Online

For school districts, taking care of business can at times seem to be a non-stop juggling act. A new law requiring districts, regardless of size, to post campaign finance reports on their websites may be adding another task to that list, but with some planning and organization, districts can meet this new requirement without too much effort.

Texas House Bill 2626 became law on Sept. 1, 2023, amending the Election Code to require that all political subdivisions, including school districts, make campaign finance reports available on their websites no later than 10 business days after the report is received.

“It’s a very big change, especially for our smaller school districts,” said TASB Senior Attorney Lindsey McPheeters. “Previously, only districts with 15,000 or more students that were located in municipalities of 500,000 or more people were required to post campaign finance reports on their websites.”

The bill was co-authored by state Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, who told valleycentral.com last November that the goal was to increase transparency for the public. “I’ve been around politics most of my adult life,” Tepper told the news outlet. “And I found it frustrating that I was not able to find the campaign finance reports of local elected officials on the web.”

In the past, community members in smaller school districts would have to request the copies of the reports directly from the district. McPheeters said making the reports available online benefits the public, especially with increased interest in election integrity.

“People are interested in elections and who’s donating money to whom,” she said. “This law is a positive change because it does provide more information to the public about the candidates on the ballot.” Yet for school district staff who already have a long to-do list, figuring out how to comply with the new law may feel daunting. “It can be a tall task to fit into your day,” she said.

To help streamline the process, here are some tips and best practices, offered by McPheeters and Leander ISD’s Cindy Anderson, who serves as her district’s election coordinator and the executive administrative assistant to the Leander ISD Board of Trustees.

1. Know What’s Coming

Review the calendar on the Texas Ethic Commission’s website, which lists the filing schedule for reports due in connection with upcoming elections. Generally, the campaign finance reports are due in January and July, as well as 30 days before the election and eight days before the election.

The new law allows school districts to redact the street address portion of a contributor's address, but not the city, state, or zip code. However, school districts must maintain an unredacted copy of the campaign finance report in their offices.

2. Set Up a Separate Email Account

In Leander ISD, Anderson has been posting campaign finance reports for years and recommends setting up a dedicated email account to receive them. That way, access to the reports can be shared among staff members to minimize the risk of not meeting the required 10 business day posting deadline. Since all candidates and current office holders who have open campaign finance accounts must file reports, there’s always the potential for multiple filings and having them directed to one email simplifies the process of receiving them.

3. Don’t Overlook Online Organization

Many districts choose to include a section for campaign finance reports under the Board of Trustees or Elections portion of their website. Although the law doesn’t say where on the website the reports must be posted, McPheeters recommends organizing them in a location that will be easy for the public to navigate. The goal is to make the information available as required by law and to minimize the potential for questions and confusion over where to find the reports online.

4. Keep a Record on Each Report

The new law requires that reports remain accessible on the website until the fifth anniversary of the date the report was first made available, so it’s important to develop a system to track those dates. In Leander ISD, Anderson uses Google drive with individual folders to track reports by year and date, but other districts may track by the person’s name. The key is to figure out a system that works in your district.

5. Receive It, Redact It, Post It

It’s important to remember that school districts are the filing authority for campaign finance reports but have no additional responsibilities in terms of urging candidates or office holders to file them in a timely fashion. Candidates and officeholders are responsible for ensuring that they meet the filing deadlines. Should a district get a complaint from the community about reports not being filed or about the content of a campaign finance report, McPheeters said those questions or issues should be directed to the Texas Ethics Commission, which oversees the campaign finance issues.

Managing school board elections is challenging no matter how much experience district staff may have in doing this work. Although there is a wealth of information available from both the Texas Secretary of State and the Texas Ethics Commission, TASB also offers a telephone consultation service and written resources (TASB login required) to assist.

 “TASB Legal Services is here to help district staff work through any questions or situations that may arise as they navigate this new requirement,” McPheeters said.

 This article was originally published on Feb. 15, 2024 and has been updated.