New York State Public Campaign Finance Board Accepting Comments on Proposed Regulations
By: Joseph T. Burns
Through March 8, 2026, the New York State Public Campaign Finance Board is accepting comments on three proposed amendments to its regulations.
The first proposed amendment addresses the candidacies and the public campaign funding of candidates running for Governor and Lt. Governor. Under an amendment to the Election Law in 2025, candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor now run jointly as a ticket in the primary election. The proposed amendment addresses this change in the Election Law as well as how these Governor/Lt. Governor tickets would participate in the public campaign finance program.
The PCFB’s next proposed amendment addresses reporting requirements for contributions or loans from a candidate participating in the public campaign finance program or the candidate’s family members.
The final proposed amendment addresses the PCFB’s investigation and enforcement process. This amendment includes a new section of the regulations regarding committees that file late or fail to file. It also includes new dollar amounts for fines for certain committees determined to have failed to file certain required filings.
Public comments on these proposed regulations can be emailed to the Public Campaign Finance Board at PCFB@elections.ny.gov.
Established as part of the state budget in 2020, the Public Campaign Finance Board is charged with administering New York State’s public campaign finance program. The program offers public matching funds for candidates for statewide office and state legislature. The PCFB is comprised of a board of seven commissioners, the four commissioners of the New York State Board of Elections, one commissioner appointed by the Democratic leaders of the state legislature, one commissioner appointed by the Republican leaders of the state legislature, and one commissioner appointed by the Governor.
In 2024, candidates for the state legislature were first able to participate in the program and obtain public matching funds for their campaigns. Candidates for statewide office (Governor/Lt. Governor, Comptroller, and Attorney General) are able to participate in the program for the first time in 2026.
Failing to comply with the public campaign finance provisions of the Election Law and the regulations of the PCFB can be costly to a campaign. Campaigns can lose thousands of dollars in public matching funds through simple errors, and for many candidates, this could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Candidates participating in the program as well as their staff members and consultants should seek legal advice from knowledgeable attorneys early in the campaign to avoid larger problems as Primary Day or Election Day approach.
