GORHAM – With Gorham’s and Windham’s populations exceeding 15,000 for the first time, according to 2010 Census data, candidates for elected office in the two towns are now required to play by new rules for future elections.

According to Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices, Gorham and Windham have joined 13 other towns and cities in Maine with populations exceeding 15,000 whose candidates have to appoint campaign treasurers and record campaign contributions and expenditures.

The new requirements affect Town Council and school board candidates and any other elected positions starting this year. While new at the local level, the financial disclosures have been in place for county-and state-level offices for more than a decade, Wayne said. But now that the 15,000-population trigger has been reached, local candidates must adhere to the reporting guidelines, as well.

Specifically, candidates must record all campaign-related expenditures and any donation more than $50. Contributions take the form of any loans, goods or services or unpaid debts the candidates incurs during the campaign. It also applies to in-kind contributions.

The other major requirement is that candidates must list a treasurer and set up a special bank account for all campaign-related items. Expenditures for the campaign can only be made from the account, with no overlapping of private or business accounts the candidate may have. Once a campaign is over, the finance report is turned over to the municipality, which must keep the information on file for several years, Wayne said.

While the candidate is required to report to the town clerk’s office, it is up to the clerk to determine how to distribute the information to the public. Wayne said Portland, the largest municipality in Maine, publicizes the information on its website. Wayne said some smaller towns make the information available by fax or email upon request.

In Windham, Town Clerk Linda Morrell, who is also a candidate in the coming November election, is still familiarizing herself with the new requirements and attended a recent training session with the Gorham town clerk.

“We’re going to be learning as we go here,” Morrell said. “We’ve just got to go with the flow, but if it’s something the state requires, we’ll take it in stride.”

Morrell already deals with a lot of paperwork when it comes to elections and disclosures. She helps each candidate as they take out papers prior to each election, and then she certifies the list of 25 signatures they are required to submit to qualify to run. Morrell also must follow up with each elected official on a yearly basis to make sure they submit a form listing each transaction they may have conducted with a constituent totaling more than $1,000.

While she understands the importance of the financial disclosures, Morrell said, the new requirement may discourage some from entering the political realm, something that is already difficult in towns where some boards go unfilled.

“I do wonder if it will deter people from running when they learn they have to follow these new guidelines,” she said.

But Gorham Town Councilor Michael Phinney says the new hurdle is unlikely to trim the field of candidates.

“It’s one more thing to do,” said Phinney, who has taken out nomination papers for a sixth term.

When asked whether the requirement has discouraged electoral participation statewide, Wayne said candidates for statewide or regional positions “understand this is a part of running for office. It definitely involves some level of work and may appear at first to be more burdensome, but once a candidate gets used to the process, it’s manageable in my opinion.”

The overall goal of the statute is full disclosure, Wayne said.

“This is just another type of disclosure. The idea behind the law is so members of the public know who is raising and spending money to influence local elections,” Wayne said.

Jennifer Elliott, deputy Gorham town clerk, said candidates have been given informational booklets when they take out nomination papers. The candidates are “a little surprised,” Elliott said.

Besides Phinney, the Gorham council term of Noah Miner is expiring, as are school board terms of Dennis Libby, Katherne Garrard and Polly Shields. All are three-year terms.

Gorham candidates for the Town Council and school committee are required to submit no less than 25 but not more than 100 signatures of registered voters on nomination papers. Gorham papers have to be submitted by 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, in the office of Town Clerk Connie Loughran.

Elliott said five candidates have taken out papers for the Town Council, and Suzanne Phillips and Dan LeVasseur have returned them. Two candidates have taken out papers for the Gorham School Committee.

The Gorham municipal election is on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

According to U.S. Census Bureau information reported by Town Manager David Cole in the town budget statistics, Gorham’s population jumped up 2,240, to 16,381 in 2010, from 14,141 10 years ago, representing a 15.84 percent increase.

Westbrook Town Clerk Lynda Adams said this week that candidates in Westbrook have had to abide by the law for several years now. In essence, she said, the law requires anyone spending any amount of money, no matter how it’s raised, to record the expenditures.

Reporter Robert Lowell also contributed to this story.