For the first time in several years, the Bartholomew County Election Board is preparing to levy fines against past and current candidates who have still failed to submit their campaign finance report for 2023.
But at the same time, board members are trying to extend a degree of leniency before fines are assessed, board president James Holland said.
“The thought here is to encourage compliance, and not be punitive in terms of any financial sanctions,” board attorney Pete King said.
Although there were several individuals who did not file prior to the Jan. 17 deadline, election supervisor Taylor Seegraves says many did submit reports after the deadline. The board decided at their last meeting these late filers will not be penalized.
But there are still eight individuals who are being asked to meet with the board at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Voter Registration office.
Each person will be asked to explain why they haven’t submitted the paperwork. Certified letters were sent out after last month’s deadline to remind those in non-compliance they need to submit a report, but Seegraves said up to six of those letters were returned to her office.
“I think that if they show up, truly apologize or whatever, and they turn in the report on Thursday, we accept it and move forward,” board member Mark Kevitt said. “No fine.”
But if the person is a no-show on Thursday and doesn’t turn in the required paperwork, they will first be assessed a $50 fine before given 30 additional days to file, King said. Failure to file on the 31st day or thereafter would be a statutory fine of $50 a day that the report is not filed, the board attorney said. By law, the fine can go up to a maximum $2,000.
For those who appear without a report, King suggested the board listen carefully to their reasons.
“Judge whether or not those reasons have merit,” the board attorney said. “If they don’t, you apply the same dollar assessment and encourage them to file over the next 30 days.
No candidate has been fined for failing to submit campaign finance reports since Lentz began working in the Voter Registration office in 2012, she said.
Non-compliance could be a matter where there is just confusion about what needs to be turned in, the county clerk said. There are also individuals who don’t want to work on the report because they find it intimidating, she added.
It’s also likely some individuals think they don’t have to file if they lost their race and have no plans to run for a political office again, Kevitt said.
All candidates are reminded there is a box they can check on the annual report that states they don’t want to bothered with reports after the current paperwork is submitted.
