The State Board of Elections is “forgiving” millions of dollars in fines previously levied against candidates filing late campaign finance reports, or not filing reports at all.
Quarterly, the Board of Elections would publicly list those candidates who owed the board fines for failure to file. Those reports stopped being listed publicly two years ago, when Richard Thornton, state director of campaign finance, said the board determined many of the fines “uncollectable and disproportionate.”
The last report that was posted was in September 2021, with total outstanding fines of $5,082,871. That list included more than 100 candidates, former candidates, political action committees, and other groups, with fines ranging from $25 to $501,350.
According to the Board of Elections, the initial fine is $25, and accumulates at a rate of $2 per day. The online system was initiated in 2002.
Thornton said the Board of Elections has been developing a “policy toward reducing fines that are proportional and collectable.” He said it’s possible that the policy will be considered by the Board of Elections within the next month.
By proportional, Thornton explained, a campaign may spend $1,000, but over time with fines the amount owed the state is thousands of dollars.
“It’s been a bit of a complex issue to deal with,” Thornton said. “It’s been an exercise to find the best way to deal with the debt.”
In the past, the Board has levied fines, but when brought to court, judges have reduced the fines substantially, citing the proportionality of the fines in context of the amount of money a campaign raises or spends.
Thornton said the board has been doing “a much better job” of assuring that campaign finance reports are being filed and filed on time.
