Article XXVIII, § 3 — Contribution limits

(1) Except as described in subsections (2), (3), and (4) of this section, no person, including a political committee, shall make to a candidate committee, and no candidate committee shall accept from any one person, aggregate contributions for a primary or a general election in excess of the following amounts: (a) Five hundred dollars to any one: (I) Governor candidate committee for the primary election, and governor and lieutenant governor candidate committee, as joint candidates under 1-1-104, C. R. S. , or any successor section, for the general election; (II) Secretary of state, state treasurer, or attorney general candidate committee; and (b) Two hundred dollars to any one state senate, state house of representatives, state board of education, regent of the university of Colorado, or district attorney candidate committee. (2) No small donor committee shall make to a candidate committee, and no candidate committee shall accept from any one small donor committee, aggregate contributions for a primary or a general election in excess of the following amounts: (a) Five thousand dollars to any one: (I) Governor candidate committee for the primary election, and governor and lieutenant governor candidate committee, as joint candidates under 1-1-104, C. R. S. , or any successor section, for the general election; (II) Secretary of state, state treasurer, or attorney general candidate committee; and (b) Two thousand dollars to any one state senate, state house of representatives, state board of education, regent of the university of Colorado, or district attorney candidate committee. (3) (a) No political party shall accept aggregate contributions from any person, other than a small donor committee as described in paragraph (b) of this subsection (3), that exceed three thousand dollars per year at the state, county, district, and local level combined, and of such amount no more than twenty-five hundred dollars per year at the state level; (b) No political party shall accept aggregate contributions from any small donor committee that exceed fifteen thousand dollars per year at the state, county, district, and local level combined, and of such amount no more than twelve thousand, five hundred dollars at the state level; (c) No political party shall accept contributions that are intended, or in any way designated, to be passed through the party to a specific candidate's candidate committee; (d) In the applicable election cycle, no political party shall contribute to any candidate committee more than twenty percent of the applicable spending limit set forth in section 4 of this article. (e) Any unexpended campaign contributions retained by a candidate committee for use in a subsequent election cycle shall be counted and reported as contributions from a political party in any subsequent election for purposes of paragraph (d) of this subsection (3); (4) (a) It shall be unlawful for a corporation or labor organization to make contributions to a candidate committee or a political party, and to make expenditures expressly advocating the election or defeat of a candidate; except that a corporation or labor organization may establish a political committee or small donor committee which may accept contributions or dues from employees, officeholders, shareholders, or members. (b) The prohibition contained in paragraph (a) of this subsection (4) shall not apply to a corporation that: (I) Is formed for the purpose of promoting political ideas and cannot engage in business activities; and (II) Has no shareholders or other persons with a claim on its assets or income; and (III) Was not established by and does not accept contributions from business corporations or labor organizations. section 2, shall be adjusted by an amount based upon the percentage change over a four year period in the United States bureau of labor statistics consumer price index for Denver- Boulder-Greeley, all items, all consumers, or its successor index, rounded to the nearest lowest twenty-five dollars. The first adjustment shall be done in the first quarter of 2007 and then every four years thereafter. The secretary of state shall calculate such an adjustment in each limit and specify the limits in rules promulgated in accordance with article 4 of title 24, C. R. S. , or any successor section. Editor's note: In the case of In re Interrogatories by Ritter, the Colorado Supreme Court declared subsection (4) of this section unconstitutional in light of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U. S. 310, 130 S. Ct. 876, 175 L. Ed. 2d 753 (2010).