An advisory opinion has been requested whether the cost of meals and travel expenses of volunteers working on a challenge to the validity of designating petitions is exempt from the expenditure limits of the New York City Campaign Finance Act.
New York City Administrative Code §3-706(5) (a) provides that "expenses to challenge or defend the validity of petitions... shall not be limited by the expenditure limitations of §3-706." The costs incurred by a candidate's authorized committee for meals and travel expenses of volunteers are covered by this exemption to the extent those costs are reasonably related to the work performed by the volunteers in the petition challenge. The candidate has the burden of demonstrating to the Board that payments for meals and travel are reasonably related to the challenge to an opponent's petitions.
NEW YORK CITY CAMPAIGN FINANCE BOARD