City and County of San Francisco
Ethics Commission

English

Electronic filing of campaign committee disclosure statements in San Francisco is mandatory. Committees must create a Campaign Filer Account in the NetFile electronic filing system to file their campaign finance statements, or other required statements and supporting documentation to participate in the Public Financing Program.

Effective June 11, 2024 – the San Francisco Ethics Commission’s filing processes have moved to a fully electronic format. Please read below for instructions on registering your committee and setting up an electronic filing account.

The new registration process consists of the following steps:

1. Complete the required information on the Committee Account Registration Form (SFEC Form 112b) and create a draft filing that will be routed to DocuSign for signature;
   • The person that prepares the draft of the Committee Account Registration Form does not have to be a signer of the form. When you prepare the form, you will be required to provide the email address of the signer(s). The signer(s) must click the link and complete the signing process via DocuSign.
2. Each principal officer listed on the form must sign the document before it can be filed with the Ethics Commission;
3. The Ethics Commission will review your submission, establish the Campaign Filer Account, and transmit the credentials to the primary account holder’s provided email address;
4. For committees using the City’s free Netfile electronic filing system, the primary account holder must log in using an existing Netfile User Account or create a new Netfile User Account;
   • Committees that use an approved third-party vendor should contact the vendor for further instructions regarding account set up procedures;
5. After creating a Netfile User Account, the primary account holder must log in to San Francisco’s free Netfile electronic filing system using the Netfile User Account and link the Campaign Filer Account credentials to the Netfile User Account.
6. Log in to the Netfile electronic filing system using your Netfile User Account to start filing electronic campaign finance statements or file required statements and supporting documentation to participate in the public financing program.

Candidates and committees should review their reporting obligations prior to creating an electronic filing account.

Step 1: Complete the Committee Account Registration Form (SFEC Form 112b)

Use the Committee Account Registration Form (SFEC Form 112b) to register for a Campaign Filer Account, request account credentials, delegate the signatures of principal officers to the account holder, or elect to file electronic campaign finance statements when otherwise not required by local law.

Committees can use San Francisco’s free NetFile system or an approved third-party vendor to submit electronic statements. The Committee Account Registration Form must be filed regardless of which system the committee elects to use.

• Complete the required information on the Committee Account Registration Form and create a draft filing that will be routed via DocuSign for the relevant signatures;
• Each committee officer listed on the form must sign the document before it can be filed with the Ethics Commission;
• The Ethics Commission will review your submission, establish the Campaign File Account, and transmit the credentials to the primary account holder’s provided email address

Step 2: Create a NetFile User Account

NetFile is a web-based, data entry filing system that allows candidates and campaign committees to submit disclosure statements mandated by California’s Political Reform Act and San Francisco’s Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance. Using the Local Filer portal within NetFile allows for electronic filing of required disclosure statements free of charge.

• For committees using San Francisco’s free NetFile electronic filing system, please sign up using the above link, and you will receive a confirmation email. 
• Click the verification link, and you will be provided with a unique password. 
• Save this password to log in to your account (or to change it later). 
• Upon receipt of your Committee’s credentials from the San Francisco Ethics Commission, log in to your NetFile account and link the Campaign Filer Account credentials to your NetFile User Account.  
• Log in to the Netfile electronic filing system using your Netfile User Account to complete the Committee Setup Wizard, start filing electronic campaign finance statements, or file required statements and supporting documentation to participate in the Public Financing Program.   

If you are using an approved third-party vendor other than NetFile, please contact that vendor for further instructions regarding account setup procedures.

Step 3: Electronically File Your Statement of Organization (Form 410) and Candidate Intention Statement (Form 501)

To complete the committee registration process, you will need to electronically file your committee’s Statement of Organization. Additionally, if you are a candidate for City elective office you will also need to electronically file your Candidate Intention Statement.

• After completing the Committee Setup Wizard in the previous step, go to the “Statements” tab on the Home page of your Committee profile and select “Create a New Draft Form 410” 
• You will be able to review a PDF version of the Form, and then electronically file with our office.
• If required – please use our new electronic Candidate Intention Statement to complete your registration.

The Candidate Intention Statement (Form 501) is not supported in San Francisco’s free NetFile system. Please submit the form via the above DocuSign link, using a third-party vendor, or as a paper copy with the Ethics Commission.