This was my third electoral campaign (read my 2019 expense report, and my 2022 general elections expense report), and as in the past I will be declaring my campaign expenses in a feminist and green way. This means that I will be transparent about the costs of the campaign through quantitive and qualitative reporting; I will reflect invisible or unpaid labour; while also indicating how I kept the environment in mind while campaigning!
Let’s go!
TL;DR
- I think the legal requirements for campaign expense reports are archaic and need updating.
- I spent €386.6 on my own campaign.
- I received one monetary donation of 100€ to cover my nomination as a candidate.
- I spent around 100 hours engaged in specific campaign events like debates and press conferences.
- I spent many more additional hours engaged in supporting the drafting of the manifesto, writing statements, editing videos, and maintaining ADPD presence on social media.
A note on campaign reporting in Malta
I honestly hate the requirements for campaign cost reporting in Malta because they are archaic and ask for too little.
Did you know that we aren’t required to report on anything spent before the deadline for nominations? This means that anything a candidate spent before the 29th April 2024 does not count towards the max. limit of campaign spend of 45,000€ (for MEP candidates).
Did you know that political parties don’t need to submit a specific campaign report and don’t have to stick to a limit of campaign spend?
Did you know that the folded A3 paper they give you to report on in blue ink until 2019 still included outdated categories like “telegrams” but did not include up-to-date ones like “internet advertising”.
It is time for a transparency reform! While I do not support needless bureaucracy or red-tape, the current system is not fit for purpose. It is on individual candidates and parties to go above and beyond in reporting in a transparent way, but it shouldn’t be this way.
The money
Donations
| 1 | monetary donation | carmel cacopardo | €100 |
I received one donation of €100 from Carmel Cacopardo to cover the costs of my nomination to the Electoral Commission. The rest of the campaign is self-funded.
Expenses
| 1 | nomination | €90.00 |
| 2 | advertising, design | €63.00 |
| 3 | travel | €58.60 |
| 4 | printing | €60.00 |
| 5 | event | €50.00 |
| 6 | additional | €65.00 |
| €386.60 |
- It costs 90€ to become a candidate. Had I reached a certain threshold of votes this would have been reimbursed, but I didn’t.
- This includes €45 I paid to the designer of the poster for mine and Rachelle’s campaign event, and 18€ I spent on Meta ads to promote the event on Facebook and Instagram.
- Travel. This covers the 3 times I used a cab during the campaign to attend campaign events in Malta, when for example it was raining or if I was running late. As well as 30€ fuel for the use of my personal car. I travelled over 500km by e-bike during the campaign, and countless ones by carpool where usually Ralph was driving.
- Printing. I paid €30 for one of the ADPD banners which we hung in the streets. I paid €30 at a stationery to print 100 black and white 2-sided copies of mine and Rachelle’s zine which we then folded and distributed at our event in Maori. I decided not to print business cards, and just kept a QR code on my phone that people could scan if they wanted to have my contact details and links.
- I spent €50 on refreshments for volunteers who contributed their time to make the event at Maori a success.
- Additional costs are costs which I incurred because of the campaign but don’t fit into any other category. In this case it’s €65 spent on clothes – a better fitting shirt, a belt, and some trousers suitable to be worn in hot weather. I don’t include things like haircuts, mobile phone costs, therapy – because these are all regular expenses which happen regardless of whether I am campaigning or not.
What’s not shown here:
- I have picked up some stickers along my time engaged with the Young European Greens and the European Green Party which I distributed during my campaign, and therefore did not print or cost myself.
- I attended an event funded by the European Green Party – the European Greens Rally in Brussels. Those costs are not reported as they are reported directly by the EGP to the European Parliament.
- The Maltese podcast, morethanfriends.mt released an episode we filmed and recorded last year (July 2023) in the last week of the campaign. This was something that was meant to happen at one point or another and the producer chose to release it during my campaign. There was no financial exchange or otherwise for the editing of the videos which are visible on my Instagram page.
- I worked on two articles with a volunteer ghost writer who supported me in structuring my ideas and drafting. Read them here and here.
My time spent campaigning
The Daphne Foundation have asked candidates for MEP elections to quantify in some way the time spent on the campaign. Here is as thorough an overview that I can provide, in terms of time spent at campaign events and in meetings since February 2024.
I work as self-employed and have not had any paid work since January 2024, in fact I was refused a contract because of my political exposure being considered a conflict of interest. Considering a work day of 6 hours, and a work week of 4 days – as it should be – I estimate that I worked for 2.5 – 3 months on the campaign. All this unpaid labour.
I attended the following campaign events, non-exhaustive list I have definitely missed out on a few press conferences and ADPD meetings:
- 21st February 2024, 1300 – 1500, KNŻ Ewroagora on Human Rights, Floriana. This included being recorded for a video that Malta Daily would publish on their portals. (is it boomer to say portals?)
travel: carpooling with Ralph Cassar 🫂 - 13th March 2024, 1300 – 1500, KNŻ Ewroagora on Climate Change, University. While I did not participate in this debate, I supported Ralph Cassar by taking photos and videos, which I later edited for ADPD’s and his social media. I also used the opportunity to distribute stickers and talk to students.
travel: by bike 🚲 - 22nd March 2024, 1300 – 1430, JEF Malta debate, University. While I did not participate in this debate, I supported Sandra Gauci by taking photos and videos, which I later edited for ADPD’s and her social media. I also met her during the week preceding the debate to prepare talking points and ideas for messages.
travel: by bike 🚲 - 26th March 2024, 0900 – 1200, Chamber of Commerce Debate, Valletta. Ralph Cassar supported me in drafting ideas and statements for this debate. After the debate I edited some reels from some short interventions I had made.
travel: by bus 🚌 - 3rd April 2024, 1300 – 1500, KNŻ Ewroagora, University Campus Valletta. I supported Sandra Gauci’s presence at the debate by taking videos and photos, distributing business cards, and talking to students. I edited some reels after the event for ADPD’s social media.
travel: by bike 🚲 - 4th April 2024, 2100 – 2300, Comedy open-mic stand up night. I attended this comedy night in Msida and performed some stand-up as a way of promoting my candidacy. I distributed stickers. It took me a couple of hours to prepare my material.
travel: by car 🚗 - 6th April, 1700 – 1830, recording of 30mins interview with UTV. This did not end up being broadcast but you can watch it online here.
travel: by car 🚗 - 9th April 2024, 0900-1200, Youth and Community Studies conference, University campus Valletta. I attended this conference and spoke with people. I was not on a panel and did not distribute any materials.
travel: by bike 🚲 - 10th April 2024, 1300 – 2000 I accompanied Rachelle Deguara to an interview with the newspaper Illum. We also had a meeting to discuss her campaign, and later did a joint live-stream on instagram.
travel: bus and carpooling with Rachelle 🚌 🫂 - 19th April 2024, 1900 – 2100 KNŻ Policy and Pints. Event attended with Ralph Cassar and Sandra Gauci. We each had 3-5 minutes to present ourselves. There were no pints.
travel: carpooling with Ralph Cassar 🫂 - 20th April 2024, 1000 – 1200 ADPD AGM and press conference in Floriana. Took photos, videos, contributed to discussions.
travel: carpooling with Ralph Cassar 🫂 - 22nd April 2024, 1400 – 1500 I accompanied Sandra Gauci to a recording of XTRA at the PBS studios. Including time to have lunch together and chat messages!
travel: carpooling with Sandra Gauci 🫂 - 27th April 2024, 1200 I spoke at a press conference in Pieta’.
travel: by bike 🚲 - 28th April 2024, 1100 I submitted my nomination in Naxxar.
travel: by bike 🚲 - 2nd May 2024, 1000 – 1430 Morning filming of our TV ad in Valletta, then Ewropej (MaltaToday + Lovin Malta) x KSU debate, University of Malta. I participated in that debate where a right-wing candidate threw an egg on the stage. Took some hours the day before to prep for this.
travel: got a lift from a friend, then by cab 🚕 - 2nd May – 4th May 2024, European Greens Campaign Rally, Brussels. I travelled to Brussels to participate in the European Greens Rally as a candidate from ADPD. I gave a speech! Had some meetings!
travel: plane, train, taxi, public transport, walking - 6th May 2024, 1500, I accompanied Sandra to a recording of Ras Imb Ras program on PBS. After the recording we worked together to prepare for Sandra’s debate on the 7th May.
travel: carpooling with Sandra Gauci 🫂 - 7th May 2024, 1100 – 1330, I accompanied Sandra to her Ewropej (MaltaToday + Lovin Malta) debate at MCAST. Photos, videos, reels. You know the drill.
travel: carpooling with Sandra Gauci 🫂 - 9th May 2024, 1600, I accompanied Sandra to a meeting with Jon Mallia to discuss the terms and conditions of her interview with him. Which you can watch here.
travel: carpooling with Sandra Gauci 🫂 - 10th May 2024, 1000 – 1200 at Junior College for ‘speed rounds’ with candidates. 1730 – 2000 in Valletta for KNŻ’s last Candidates debate.
travel: by bus 🚌 - 11th May 2024, 1000 – 1430, attending an event by MFWS with the Children’s Council in Floriana, then attending a session with some YMCA volunteers in Valletta.
travel: by bus 🚌 and carpooling with Ralph Cassar 🫂 - 14th May 2024, 1030 – 2000, Pulse debate at University, accompanying Ralph to a Ewropej debate in Mosta. Attending a BPW discussion and dinner in St. Julian’s with Sandra Gauci.
travel: by bike 🚲 and by car 🚗 - 15th May 2024, 1500 – 1900 recording a press conference and video broadcast about the ADPD manifesto.
travel: carpooling with Ralph Cassar 🫂 - 16th May 2024, 1430 – 1630 recording and live broadcast of a debate on FLiving in Luqa.
travel: by car 🚗 - 18th May 2024, 0830 – 1100 MEP bike ride organised by ROTA from Valletta to Manoel Island.
travel: by bike 🚲 - 20th May 2024, 1700 meeting with the NGO Dar Hosea
travel: by walk - 27th May 2024, 1000 – 1600 Meetings with NGOs: MSPCA and JRS Malta, in Floriana.
travel: by bus 🚌 - 28th May 2024, 1130 – 1400 Recording and broadcast of Newsbook debate on ‘work’, in Pieta.
travel: by cab 🚕 - 28th May 2024, 14:30 – 16:30 Meeting with ODIHR representatives in Valletta to discuss the political climate and campaign barriers in Malta. With Sandra Gauci.
travel: by bus 🚌 and by walk. - 30th May 2024, 1030 – 1230 Visiting BirdLife Malta at is-Simar with Ralph Cassar.
travel: carpooling with Ralph Cassar 🫂 - 30th May 2024, 1500 press conference on healthcare in Pieta. With Sandra Gauci and Ralph Cassar.
travel: carpooling with Ralph Cassar 🫂 - 30th May 2024, 1700 – 2300 set-up of event and campaign event at Maori with Rachelle Deguara.
travel: carpooling with Rachelle Deguara 🫂 - 31st May 2024, 1630 – 1830 FLiving recording of a debate in Luqa.
travel: by car 🚗 - 3rd June 2024, 1100 – 1130 filming of campaign video at MSPCA.
travel: by bike - 4th June 2024, 1130 – 1400 broadcast and filming of debate at Newsbook on ‘democracy’.
travel: carpooling with Brian Decelis 🫂
Conclusion
A campaign requires time, money, volunteers. Ideally a combination of all those. When like in my case, the money is scarce, I chose to invest more time. However none of the above considers the emotional labour of people in my life, particularly my family and partner, my team mates in the roller derby team, my colleagues in the European Greens and Young European Greens, who listened to my grievances and helped me find motivation along the way, or cooked me food and kept me fed. With a special thanks to Ralph Cassar for carpooling, driving us around several events, and covering lunches on the go.
MJ Tolu 
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