ActBlue, a prominent Democratic online fundraising platform, has been penalized $100,000 by Maine’s campaign finance regulators for failing to meet a crucial deadline for disclosing campaign contributions. The decision was finalized on Wednesday by the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices following an evaluation of ActBlue Maine’s missed deadline for reporting $1.2 million in contributions during the second quarter of 2025. This report was due by July 15, but was submitted over two weeks late.
Originally, the commission considered imposing a much heftier fine of $683,731, which would have marked the largest penalty in the commission’s history. The amount was ultimately reduced due to ActBlue Maine’s cooperative demeanor in rectifying the situation, despite having encountered processing errors and staff shortages.
According to a report from the commission staff, the delay’s “informational harm” was somewhat mitigated because some contributions made during the second quarter were also reported by individual candidates and committees. For instance, a $4,150 contribution from author Stephen King to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Hannah Pingree was also disclosed in Pingree’s own campaign finance report.
In response to the potential financial penalty, ActBlue Maine requested a waiver or significant reduction of the fine, attributing the delay to processing challenges within the state’s filing system. George Gilmer, the treasurer for ActBlue Maine, emphasized in a letter to the agency that the organization acted in good faith and attempted to meet the deadline. He also noted that technological issues significantly hampered their efforts.
Commission staff acknowledged the complexity ActBlue faced in filing reports across multiple jurisdictions, suggesting this might involve outsourcing compliance efforts. However, they maintained that, as a large nonprofit, ActBlue should be expected to adequately staff these operations to ensure timely completion in every jurisdiction.
This situation underscores the challenges faced by large-scale fundraising platforms in navigating complex regulatory environments and highlights the importance of stringent filing protocols to maintain transparency and public trust.