Filing Requirements
Per the State Election Code, Section 254.063 and 254.093, Semiannual Reporting Schedule for Candidate/Officeholder, contribution and expenditure reports are due with the Office of the City Clerk (OCC) on their respective due date.
E-Filing System
On July 1, 2020, the Office of the City Clerk launched an electronic filing system for all campaign finance report filings; therefore, the Clerk's office does not accept data files or paper copies of campaign finance reports. All candidates and political action committees must file all campaign finance reports, including the City ATX forms, using the COA E-Filing System. The system allows filers to file their reports from any location at their convenience and eliminates the need for submitting a separate data file.
All campaign finance reports are filed using the City Clerk's E-Filing System. If you submit a paper campaign finance report and data file to the Clerk's Office, you will receive a memo and your submission will be rejected.
Campaign Finance Contact Form
To file electronically and obtain an E-Filing account and password, candidates and political action committees must submit the following two forms to the City Clerk's Office:
The City requires that filers continue to submit the CTA form in hard-copy format to the City Clerk's Office. Candidates and political action committees may fill out and submit the Campaign Finance Contact Form online.
Instruction Guides for Campaign Finance Forms
The Office of the City Clerk provides guides and videos to assist filers who submit their campaign finance reports to the COA E-Filing System.
Video Guides
- Introduction to New E-Filing System
- Campaign Finance Reporting for 2020 Election
- Filing ATX Forms for 2020 Election
C/OH Guides
- Candidate/Officeholder Campaign Finance Report Form C/OH - Instruction Guide
- Candidate/Officeholder C/OH Electronic Filing System Help Guide
Political Action Committee Guides
- General-Purpose Action Committee GPAC Electronic Filing System Help Guide
- Monthly Filing General-Purpose Action Committee MPAC Electronic Filing System Help Guide
- Specific-Purpose Action Committee SPAC Electronic Filing System Help Guide
ATX Forms Guides
- ATX 1 Direct Campaign Expenditures Instructions
- ATX 5 Bundling Report Instructions
- ATX 7 Pre-Election COH - Candidates Instructions
- ATX 7 Pre-Election Political Action Committees Instructions
- ATX 8 Report of Covered Transfers Supporting Direct Campaign Expenditures Instructions
ATX Form Guides - In Spanish
- Lista ATX 1 – Gastos Directos de Campaña-Guía Instructivo
- Lista ATX 5 – Informe de Agrupación de Contribuciones (Bundling)-Guía Instructivo
- Lista ATX 7 – Informe de Pre-Elección-Candidatos-Guía Instructivo
- Lista ATX 7 – Informe de Pre-Elección – Comités de Acción Política-Guía Instructivo
- Lista ATX 8 – Guia de Instrucciones de Transferencias Cubiertos
ATX Form Samples - *Note: All campaign finance reports must be filed using the City Clerk's new electronic filing system. The Office of the City Clerk will no longer accept data files or paper copies of the campaign finance reports, including the ATX forms.*
- ATX1 Direct Campaign Expenditures
- ATX5 Bundling Report
- ATX7 Pre-Election Report - Candidates
- ATX7 Pre-Election Report - Political Action Committees
- ATX8 Report of Covered Transfers Supporting Direct Campaign Expenditures
Filing a Correction?
To file a correction to a campaign finance report, please contact the Office of the City Clerk at 512-974-2210 or elections@austintexas.gov for instructions.
Campaign Finance Data Portal and Data Search
To promote transparency in campaign finance, the City of Austin maintains a database providing public access to all contributions and expenditures reported to the Office of the City Clerk by a candidate, officeholder, or political committee. The database is searchable and available to view and download from the City of Austin's data portal. Citizens may view all active datasets and a complete field listing on the data portal.
For specific reporting requirements and filing deadlines, contact the Texas Ethics Commission at 512-463-5800 or the Office of the City Clerk at 512-974-2210.