COEUR d'ALENE - Thousands of dollars have been spent on the city of Coeur d'Alene elections this year, and while most of that is done by the candidates themselves, PACs have spent tens of thousands of dollars on the election hopefuls' behalf as well.

So what are PACs? Political Action Committees are formed to raise and spend money on behalf of a cause or candidate.

PACs were first established at the federal level in 1944 by the Congress of Industrial Organizations to support pro-union candidates after the U.S. Congress passed the Smith-Connally Act, which banned direct union contributions to political candidates.

By the 1960s and '70s businesses were forming their own PACs to counter the union-owned PACs, and by the 1980s members of Congress were forming "leadership PACs" themselves to distribute money to members of their party in an effort to gain political clout.

There are two types of PACs. There are federal PACs, which must file with the Federal Election Commission in order to financially support federal candidates. Then there are state PACs that are formed to influence elections at the state and local levels.

Anyone can spend money to support the candidates of their choice in Idaho, but how much of whose money is being spent determines how one can do it legally, according to Tim Hurst, chief deputy secretary of state.

There is a distinction between spending your own money and spending other people's money. That's where the PACs come into the equation.

Hurst said individuals can donate up to $1,000 of their own money to a candidate's campaign, and the campaign has to disclose who made any donations over $50. That same individual can donate as much money as they want to a PAC, but the same disclosure rules apply.

An individual could also spend up to $100 of his or her own money on behalf of a candidate without having to report it as long as the candidate doesn't know about it, Hurst said. If the individual spends more than $100 in support of a candidate - without that candidate's knowledge - it is considered an "independent expenditure" and that individual would have to disclose that expenditure either to the city clerk in a local election or the Secretary of State in a state level election.

There is another distinction, however, if the candidate knows about an individual spending money on his or her behalf. In that case, Hurst said, it is considered an in-kind donation to that candidate's campaign and it is limited to the $1,000 maximum donation limit.

When more than $500 is raised from multiple sources and spent on a campaign, that is when a PAC needs to be formed under Idaho law, Hurst said.

There is no limit to how much money an individual can donate to a PAC, and PACs can spend that money to benefit the candidates they support, or they can donate directly to individual campaigns but they are limited to the $1,000 maximum.

In the Coeur d'Alene city elections there are six local PACs engaged in the various races for a variety of reasons.

* Reagan Republican Victory Fund (Municipal)

The Kootenai County Reagan Republicans, a membership organization that maintains the Victory Fund PAC, announced earlier this year that it is working to get Conservative Republican candidates elected in nonpartisan races. They were heavily engaged in the hospital and school district races in May.

As of Oct. 20, the Victory Fund has raised $2,500 from the Reagan Republican Victory Fund (State), and spent it on advertising and campaign literature through the Strategery Group, a political consulting company owned by two of the Reagan Republican founders.

The Victory Fund PAC is supporting candidates Mary Souza, Chris Fillios, Noel Adam and Sharon Hebert.

* Balance North Idaho

Balance North Idaho PAC was formed earlier this year during the hospital and school board elections to endorse and support qualified candidates in nonpartisan elections regardless of their partisan affiliations.

It was originally founded by some of the individuals who organized the "Decline to Sign" campaign in 2012. That campaign was organized to defeat a recall effort against Coeur d'Alene City Council members Deanna Goodlander, Woody McEvers, Mike Kennedy and Mayor Sandi Bloem.

As of Oct. 20, Balance North Idaho raised $7,724 and has spent $1,655, mostly on advertising, but has also donated $100 apiece to the candidates they endorse: Steve Widmyer, Amy Evans, Woody McEvers and Kiki Miller.

* Reclaim North Idaho

Reclaim North Idaho PAC was established earlier this year by the people who organized a 2012 recall effort against the three Coeur d'Alene City Council members and the mayor.

The recall effort failed to garner the required number of petition signatures to force an election, so organizers formed this PAC to support election candidates who supported the recall effort. As of Oct. 20, they have raised $6,085 and spent $5,846 mostly on campaign literature and in-kind donations to the candidates they support, including Souza, Fillios, Adam and Hebert.

* Coeur d'Alene Firefighters PAC

The Coeur d'Alene Fire PAC comprises firefighters in the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department. They raised a total of $5,000 as of Oct. 20, and donated $1,000 each to Widmyer, Evans, McEvers, Miller and Balance North Idaho.

* North Idaho Builders PAC

This PAC comprises donors and businesses involved in the construction industry. So far, two candidates, Widmyer and Miller, have reported $1,000 donations from that PAC. Because the PAC made the donations after Oct. 20, they won't be required to file disclosure forms until later this month after the election.

* Truth North Idaho

Truth North Idaho filed its treasurer's report with the city clerk on Oct. 25, which allows them to start raising money, and while its Internet domain was purchased on Oct. 10, the group has told the city clerk that the domain was donated and transferred into its ownership on Oct. 28. The city clerk is still verifying that information, but if that is the case, the PAC is exempt from disclosure until later this month or December depending on its fundraising and spending activities.