Ethics Commission
City and County of San Francisco

Independent Expenditure Ads on Candidates (by Candidates and Political Party Committees)

V. Independent Expenditure Ads on Candidates (by Candidates and Political Party Committees)

CommunicationDisclaimer and Manner of Display
Print ads designed to be individually distributed including mailings, door hangers, flyers, faxes, posters, newspaper and magazine ads and oversized campaign buttons and bumper stickers (buttons ten (10) inches in diameter or larger and stickers sixty (60) square inches or larger) 

  • “Ad paid for by [committee’s name]” (on file with Form 410)
  • “Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”
  • This advertisement was not authorized by a candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate” or if the advertisement was authorized or paid for by a candidate for another office, the disclaimer must read: “This advertisement was not authorized or paid for by a candidate for this office or a committee controlled by a candidate for this office.”
  • Disclaimer Format: Text must be in no less than 12-point font and in a color that has a reasonable degree of contrast with the background of the advertisement
    • “Not authorized by” disclaimer may not appear in all capital letters
Billboards and signs (including yard signs)
  • “Ad paid for by [committee’s name]” (on file with Form 410)
  • “Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”
  • “This advertisement was not authorized by a candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate” or if the advertisement was authorized or paid for by a candidate for another office, the disclaimer must read: “This advertisement was not authorized or paid for by a candidate for this office or a committee controlled by a candidate for this office.”
  • Disclaimer Format: Text must constitute at least five percent (5%) of the total height of the advertisement and must be in a color that has a reasonable degree of contrast with the background of the advertisement
    • “Not authorized by” disclaimer may not appear in all capital letters
Radio ads, telephone calls and audio only electronic media ads
  • “Ad paid for by [committee’s name]” (on file with Form 410)
  • “Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”
  • “This advertisement was not authorized by a candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate” or if the advertisement was authorized or paid for by a candidate for another office, the disclaimer must read: “This advertisement was not authorized or paid for by a candidate for this office or a committee controlled by a candidate for this office.”
    • Disclaimer Format: Must be spoken clearly for at least three (3) seconds at the end of the ad or call, in a pitch and tone substantially similar to the rest of the advertisement
Television and video ads (including those disseminated over the Internet)
  • “Ad paid for by [committee’s name]” (on file with Form 410)
  • “Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”
  • “This advertisement was not authorized by a candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate” or if the advertisement was authorized or paid for by a candidate for another office, the disclaimer must read: “This advertisement was not authorized or paid for by a candidate for this office or a committee controlled by a candidate for this office.”
  • Disclaimer Format: Text must be of sufficient size to be legible to an average viewer, in a contrasting color to the background and must appear for at least four (4) seconds at the end of the advertisement
    • “Not authorized by” disclaimer may not appear in all capital letters
    • Disclaimer must also be spoken at the end of the ad.
Electronic media ads not covered below (except video ads, see above)
  • “Who funded this ad” text as a hyperlink in a contrasting color and font size that is easily readable by the average viewer*
      • Must hyperlink to a website containing the “Ad paid for by,” and “Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org” disclaimers in a contrasting color and in no less than 8-point font
      • “Not authorized by” disclaimer may not appear in all capital letters
      • Must remain online until (30) days after the date of election

    *This text is not required if including it is impracticable. In such circumstances the ad need only include a hyperlink to a website containing the website disclaimers.

Social media ads
  • “Ad paid for by,” “Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org,” and “Not authorized by” disclaimers in a contrasting color and in no less than 8-point font on the committee’s profile, landing page, or similar location and is not required to include disclaimers on each individual post or comment
    • “Not authorized by” disclaimer may not appear in all capital letters
    • Not required when the only expense or cost of the communication is compensated staff time unless the social media account was created only for the purpose of advertisements under the Act
Website and email
  • “Paid for by,” “Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org,” and “Not authorized by” disclaimers in a contrasting color and in no less than 8-point font at the top or bottom of the email message and every publicly accessible page of the Internet website
    • “Not authorized by” disclaimer may not appear in all capital letters
Electronic media ads that are audio only
  • See disclaimer requirements for radio ads above

The guidance above incorporates requirements imposed pursuant to state and San Francisco law. The information on this chart does not carry the force of law. If there are any discrepancies between the chart and state or local law or their corresponding regulations and opinions, the law, regulations and opinions will control.

Revised: June 2019

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