Stay Informed

Indiana Farm Bureau has launched AgELECT, the organization’s new state political action committee.

Contributions to AgELECT will be used to support state-level candidates in Indiana. The primary focus will be on supporting state Senate candidates, state House of Representative candidates and state legislative caucus events.

AgELECT will operate with nearly identical procedures to ELECT, the organization’s existing federal PAC. With the creation of AgELECT, the ELECT PAC will now be used to endorse and expend solely on the federal level. As a state PAC, AgELECT will provide the organization more fundraising flexibility by expanding the pool of potential donors.

“With the federal PAC, we were not able to take corporate donations and you had to be a Farm Bureau member to donate,” said Kendell Culp, vice president of INFB and PAC chair. “With this new state PAC, neither one of those limitations exists.”

Individuals, LLCs, sole proprietorships and partnerships are able to contribute an unlimited amount of money to AgELECT. Corporate contributions, however, are limited by Indiana state law. All in-person and other fundraising solicitations carried out by INFB going forward will be directed to the newly created AgELECT. A voluntary $5 donation collected during INFB membership renewal will continue to fund the ELECT PAC.

Culp said INFB has been considering a new PAC for about two years. He said the need to create AgELECT was born from a decreased balance in the ELECT fund. The voluntary contributions during renewal have been declining, and INFB has been involved in more state races than in the past to secure more influence at the Statehouse.

“We knew that we needed to look at different options,” Culp said. “We needed to find an alternative funding source to complement our federal PAC.”

Fundraising for AgELECT has already started at district and county Farm Bureau meetings. AgELECT was also formally introduced during the INFB delegate session held on Aug. 26, which brought together INFB members from every county in the state.

“We’re off to a really strong start,” Culp said. “We’re trying to get the word out about the new PAC, the benefits of it and how it adds clout to our organization. It seems to be really well received.”

If you’re interested in contributing to AgELECT, contact INFB political engagement manager Dana Carter at dcarter@infb.org or by calling 317-692-7845.