“Besides the compliance burden, it’s an invitation for a headache,” said David Mitrani, an associate at Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock in Washington who specializes in federal and state campaign finance law. “It’s creating more work where potentially you wouldn’t have to create more work.” But, he added, “should a committee really wish to accept Bitcoin, the F.E.C. has actually laid out a clear path to do so.”

Still, the introduction of a new source of financing could be important to some smaller campaigns and committees, especially those with significant backing from libertarians, who have embraced the currency. The Libertarian Party has already built a small but loyal Bitcoin donor base, receiving $10,000 to $20,000 a year in the currency.

Bitcoin had occupied a gray area in campaign finance after the commission deadlocked on a ruling in November. No current federal law or regulation prohibits virtual currencies in campaigns.

Representative Steve Stockman, a Texas Republican and a Bitcoin enthusiast, accepted Bitcoin contributions to his primary campaign against Senator John Cornyn this year. Greg Abbott, a Republican candidate for governor in Texas, announced last month that he would be accepting Bitcoins, and he already has a few in his campaign war chest. And Representative Jared Polis, Democrat of Colorado, announced after the ruling that he would begin accepting Bitcoins for his re-election campaign.

“Our campaign has focused on making use of cutting-edge tools to communicate online and has made digital a priority from the start,” said Matt Hirsch, Mr. Abbott’s communications director. “Something as innovative as Bitcoins is an opportunity for us to continue this focus, particularly given the fact that it embodies free market principles, which Texans are very fond of.”

Other politicians see accepting Bitcoin donations as part of a grander message.

“In the broadest sense possible, it’s a democratic currency,” said Bryan Parker, a candidate for mayor in Oakland, Calif. “I want all people to have the chance to participate. For me, it says by being open to other payment systems, it says you’re open to innovation.”

Those in the political technology sector have also been preparing for the introduction of Bitcoins into the political sphere. Targeted Victory, a digital strategy firm that does work for Republicans, helped the Abbott campaign set up its Bitcoin operation. NGP VAN, a technology company for Democratic and liberal candidates, has developed a Bitcoin integration for its applications and had been waiting for further guidance from the election commission before releasing it. And CoinVox, a start-up founded to enable the use of Bitcoins in politics, has already received interest from federal candidates.

The ruling did not specifically allow or prohibit unlimited Bitcoin donations by “super PACs,” and the rules are expected to continue to develop along with the infant currency.