October 10, 2026
The period is part of the number
House and Senate campaigns report on Form 3, usually by quarter: January to March, April to June, July to September and October to December. In an election year, a campaign on the November ballot splits October to December into three shorter reports: before the election (in 2026, October 1 to 14), after it (October 15 to November 23) and year-end (November 24 to December 31). The form shows receipts, disbursements, cash on hand at the start of the period, and debts.
Two candidates can look far apart because one number is a quarter and the other is a career. Ask which report.
The lines are not interchangeable
The candidate's own money, party-committee money, and money from other committees are different lines. A person is named when their contributions add up to more than $200 in the election cycle. Smaller gifts can sit in an unitemized total. That is still money, just without a name on it.
A platform that forwards someone else's donation is a conduit. The FEC treats that as its own topic, separate from a contribution by a political committee. Read the line the form uses.
What this will not do
Money next to a vote is context, not proof of why the vote happened. An amended report replaces the earlier one, so cite the later version and the day you read it. State candidates file with the state, not on this Form 3.
See it on a real desk: the Iowa U.S. Senate money section shows the filing, the period, and the source. The rule is on the methodology page. Money is shown as filed.
The documents
- FEC, quarterly reports. Form 3, the quarters, receipts and disbursements.
- 11 CFR 104.3. Cash on hand, the separate receipt lines, debts, and the more-than-$200 names.
- FEC, 2026 pre-general report notice. The pre-general, post-general and year-end periods for a campaign on the general ballot.
- FEC, filing candidate reports. Amendments, conduits, and committee contributions are separate topics.
Sources retrieved September 23, 2026; the 2026 general-election reporting periods, October 10, 2026.