The Office of Campaign and Political Finance is an independent state agency that administers Massachusetts General Law Chapter 55, the campaign finance law, and Chapter 55C, the limited public financing program for statewide candidates.  Established in 1973, OCPF is the depository for disclosure reports filed by candidates and committees under M.G.L. Chapter 55.

Specifically, candidates who report to OCPF are those seeking statewide, legislative and county office, Governor's Council candidates and two groups of municipal candidates:

• Candidates for mayor, city council or alderman in the state's five cities with populations of at least 100,000:  Boston, Cambridge, Lowell, Springfield and Worcester; and
  
  
• Candidates for mayor in the state's 25 cities with populations of 40,000 to 100,000:  Attleborough, Brockton, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg,
  Haverhill, Lawrence, Leominster, Lynn, Malden, Medford, Methuen, New Bedford,
  Newton, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Somerville, Taunton, Waltham,
  Westfield and Weymouth.

Other municipal candidates in Massachusetts file their reports with their local election officials, but are still subject to oversight by OCPF.

OCPF receives reports filed by hundreds of candidates and committees, reviews them to ensure accurate disclosure and legal compliance, and, where appropriate, conducts legal reviews of campaign finance activity.  OCPF is headed by a director who is appointed by a bi-partisan commission that is made up of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the chairs of the Democratic and Republican State Committees and the dean of a law school who is appointed by the Governor.  The Director serves a six-year term and is subject to reappointment.

Michael J. Sullivan, the current director, was appointed to his fourth term in 2012.

OCPF receives and maintains disclosure reports from a variety of state, county and municipal candidates and political committees.  These reports, as well as other related documents and correspondence, are available for public inspection at our office in Room 411 of the John W. McCormack Building, One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108, during regular business hours, which are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

A substantial number of candidates file their campaign finance reports electronically, through the office's Electronic Filing System.

Other reports, such as reports of independent expenditures, are scanned and made available for viewing on our website.