Secretary of State John Merrill says 92 candidates, PACS violate Alabama finance rules

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Alabama State Capitol 1

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill says 92 political candidates and Political Action Committees (PACs) have broken campaign finance rules.

Annually, by January 31, candidates that spend or raise more than $1,000 must file campaign finance reports showing campaign contributions and expenditures.

In 2017, more than 1,000 candidates and PACs were required to file their 2016 Annual Report. As of Monday, 92 have not yet taken the steps necessary to reach full compliance.

Merrill on Monday publicly released of all the candidates and PACs who missed the January deadline.

“Our intention in releasing these names to the public is to further encourage candidates and PACs to bring their filings into compliance allowing the citizens of our state to review the extent of their fiscal responsibility,” Merrill said in a press release.

At this time, no administrative penalties exist for those who missed the deadline.

Beginning with the 2018 Election Cycle, which begins in June, administrative penalties will be levied.

  • $300, or 10% of contributions or expenditures not reported, for first time offenders
  • $600, or 15% of contributions or expenditures not reported, for second time offenders
  • $1,200, or 20% of contributions or expenditures not reported,  for third and subsequent offenses

The full list of candidates and PACs not in compliance with the annual reporting requirement is available here.