Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Getting Started
- Software Download and Install
- MERTS Menu Functions
- Setting Up a Committee
- MERTS File Extension
- Add New or Modify Names
- Importing Names
- Exporting Names
- Add New or Modify Reports
- Importing Transactions
- Exporting Transactions
- Add New or Modify Election Cycle
- Add New or Modify Fund Raiser
- Add New or Modify Direct Contributions
- Add New or Modify Other Receipts
- Add New or Modify In-Kind Contributions
- Add New or Modify Campaigns
- Add New or Modify Direct Expenditures
- Add New or Modify GOTV Expenditures
- Add New or Modify In-Kind Expenditures
- Add New or Modify Independent Expenditures
- Add New or Modify Disbursements
- Add New or Modify Loans Owed BY the Committee
- Add New or Modify Debts Owed TO the Committee
- Add New or Modify Debts Owed BY the Committee
- Add New or Modify Payments to Debts or Loans
- Contribution and Expenditure Limits
- View and Print Campaign Report
- All Transactions Tab
- Run, View and Print Validation Report
- Closing, Adding Treasurer and Uploading Report
- Amending a Campaign Report
- Backing up and Restoring Files
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To enter an independent expenditure of money a campaign statement must first be created. Once a campaign statement is created and selected from the Reports tab the Summary Page & Data Entry screen will become activated as shown below:
Note: Does not apply in Candidate Committee Module.
- Under the View menu select the Summary Page & Data Entry option.
- Double click the Add New to add a new independent expenditure as seen below.
- Select the name from the drop down list. If a name record has not been created select the Add New Name button to prompt a new “Name Information” window to create the name record.
- Continue to add the date, amount and description of the expense made.
- If the expenditure was associated with a fund raising event held by your committee click the Fund raising Event drop down to select the appropriate event.
- Once a expense is reported to a Candidate Committee or Ballot Question Committee their Campaign information is also required.
- Select the correct Campaign from the drop down list.
Functions
- Select view PACs only to only display Independent and Political (PAC) committees in the name drop down list.
- Select Add New Name to add a new name record.
- Select Next to save entry and add new entries.
- Select Clone to save entry and retain the date, amount, description and fund raising event (if applicable) for the next entry.
- Select Ok to save the entry and close out of the transaction information window.
- Select Cancel to close out of the transaction information window.
Additional Features
To Modify an existing transaction open the All Transaction tab and locate the desired record. Right click and choose modify to make the necessary changes.
To Delete an existing transaction open the All Transaction tab and locate the desired record. Right click and choose delete. Please note the transactions within a closed report/campaign statement cannot be deleted. To remove a transaction from a previously filed report, select ‘De-Report’ to remove the the transaction from the amended report/campaign statement. The original transaction will continue to show in the ‘All Transactions’ tab as a shaded item.
