Filing petitions does not trigger it. Money does. The D-1 is due within 10 business days of crossing $5,000, or within 2 business days if you cross it in the 30 days before an election. Your own contributions and loans count toward the total, and so do in-kind contributions. The rest of this explainer covers what counts, the deadlines, what happens once you register, and how to keep the numbers in view. As ISBE itself notes, its guides are not legal advice; confirm your situation with ISBE or an election attorney.
For the wider question of how a campaign keeps its people and records organized, see our guide to a political campaign CRM.
The threshold in plain terms
More than $5,000. Raising or spending more than $5,000 in any 12-month period, in support of or opposition to a candidate or public question, or for electioneering communications (Guide p. 23; 10 ILCS 5/9-3).
Any 12-month period. It is a rolling window, not a calendar year. Money raised last spring can count with money raised this winter.
Raise or spend. Either side can put you over. A candidate who raises $3,000 but spends $5,500, using personal funds for the difference, has crossed the line on spending.
It applies beyond candidates. Groups and individuals supporting or opposing a candidate or a public question are covered by the same threshold. A referendum group spending more than $5,000 is in the same position as a candidate.
What counts toward $5,000
Three items surprise first-time candidates.
Your own money. The candidate's own contributions and loans count toward the $5,000 (ISBE, A Guide to Campaign Disclosure, p. 3). Paying for yard signs out of your checking account is not invisible to the threshold.
In-kind contributions. In-kind contributions count (Disclosure Guide p. 10). If a supporter pays for your printing, donates the use of a hall at a cost, or provides another good or service the campaign would otherwise buy, that value counts.
Spending, not only fundraising. As above, the threshold is "raise or spend." Track both.
A simple example, labeled as an illustration only: a village trustee candidate puts in $2,000 of personal funds, collects $2,200 from neighbors at a house party, and a supporter covers a $1,000 mailing. The campaign has raised $5,200 counting the in-kind mailing, and has crossed the threshold. The 10-business-day clock started on the day it went over $5,000.
When the D-1 is due
- Normally: "within 10 business days" of exceeding $5,000 (Disclosure Guide pp. 10, 13).
- Close to an election: if the threshold is crossed "within the 30 days prior to an election," within 2 business days.
The committee's creation date is the day it crossed $5,000 (Disclosure Guide p. 10).
The D-1 may be filed in person, by fax (217-782-5959) or by email (D1@elections.il.gov) (Disclosure Guide p. 10).
Dates to keep in mind this cycle
The 2027 consolidated elections fall on February 23, 2027 and April 6, 2027. For each, the 30 days before election day are when the shorter 2-business-day window applies. For an April 6 race, that window opens in early March; for a February 23 race, in late January. Early voting begins January 14, 2027 for the February track and February 25 (or March 12 where a February primary ran) for the April track.
Once you register, you keep filing
This is the point first-time candidates most often miss.
A committee may register before reaching $5,000. Some candidates do it early to keep their books clean from the start. But once registered, the committee must keep filing every required report until it files a Final Report, "regardless of whether they have ever reached the $5,000 level" (Disclosure Guide pp. 3, 13).
The recurring obligations include:
- Quarterly reports, due the 15th of the month after each quarter (Disclosure Guide p. 14).
- Schedule A-1 reports for contributions of $1,000 or more, within 5 business days, or within 2 business days in the 30 days before an election (Disclosure Guide pp. 14, 26).
Late filings bring civil penalties, and unpaid penalties mean ballot forfeiture (Disclosure Guide p. 27). A committee that is set up and then forgotten is a real risk to a future candidacy.
Individuals and independent expenditures
Separately, individuals who spend more than $3,000 in 12 months on independent expenditures file a special disclosure within 2 business days (Guide p. 23; Disclosure Guide p. 3). If supporters are planning to spend on their own, they should know this rule.
You will hear about this at filing
The filing office gives each candidate a notice of obligation under the campaign finance law at the time of filing (Guide p. 23). That notice is a reminder, not a substitute for tracking your own totals. If you are on the April 6 track, filing runs November 16 to 23, 2026; on the February 23 track, it ran October 19 to 26, 2026.
Why the committee matters for texting
There is a second practical reason to know where you stand. Campaign Verify, which is required for political texting on 10DLC, toll-free and short code numbers, needs an EIN and a published election-authority filing. Sole proprietors and candidates with no committee are not eligible. A candidate below $5,000 with no D-1 on file has no election-authority filing yet, and so cannot complete Campaign Verify as a candidate. If texting is part of your plan, factor that in. Our sister product's post on Campaign Verify for local candidates covers the cost and timing.
Keeping the numbers in view
The threshold is easy to cross by accident, because money and in-kind help arrive from many people in many small pieces. Two habits help.
Keep a running ledger from day one. Whether or not you have registered, record every contribution, loan, in-kind gift and expense with its date and value. The 12-month window and the "raise or spend" test both depend on dates and totals, and your treasurer or attorney will need them.
Keep every supporter on one record. Offers of help rarely arrive as a check. They come as a text reply ("I can cover the printing"), a conversation at the door, or a reply to an email. In CoreCNX, each supporter has one contact record with a timeline that door results, text replies, chatbot leads and email events write to. When a supporter's offer of printing or a hall shows up in a text reply on their timeline, your treasurer can see where the in-kind gift came from and make sure it reaches the ledger with a date. The ledger holds the money; the record holds the relationship and the history behind it.
The CNX suite is designed to keep that history together: Beacon for the doors, CampaignCNX+ for the texts, and CoreCNX as the record underneath. Our post on one voter record across petitions, doors and texts shows how that fits together, and our political page covers CoreCNX for campaigns.
FAQ
Does filing my nominating petition mean I need a committee? No. The D-1 is triggered by the $5,000 threshold, not by candidacy.
Does my own money count? Yes. The candidate's own contributions and loans count toward $5,000.
Can I register before I reach $5,000? Yes, but once registered you must keep filing every required report until you file a Final Report, even if you never reach $5,000.
How do I file the D-1? In person, by fax (217-782-5959) or by email (D1@elections.il.gov), with ISBE.
What if I cross $5,000 in the last month? If you cross it within 30 days before an election, the D-1 is due within 2 business days.
Start organized
A campaign that knows its supporters knows its numbers. Start a 14-day CoreCNX trial and keep every supporter, offer and conversation on one record from the first week.