FEC cites campaigns in Minnesota and Wisconsin for failure to file required report
The Federal Election Commission has cited four campaign committees for failing to file the 12-Day Pre-Primary Report required by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the Act), for primary elections being held on August 9, 2016, in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
As of August 4, 2016, the required 12-Day Pre-Primary disclosure report had not been received from:
- Buchholz for Congress (WI-03)
- Committee to Help Matthew D. Erickson Build America First (MN-02)
- Friends of Lewis for Wisconsin (WI-07)
- G Ryan for Congress (MN-04)
The pre-primary report was due on July 28, 2016, and should have included financial activity for the period July 1 through July 20. If sent by certified or registered mail, the report should have been postmarked by July 25. The Commission notified committees involved in the primary elections of their potential filing requirements on July 1, 2016. Those committees that did not file by the due date were sent notification on July 29, 2016, that their reports had not been received and that their names would be published if they did not respond within four business days.
Some individuals and their committees have no obligation to file reports under federal campaign finance law, even though their names may appear on state ballots. If an individual raises or spends $5,000 or less, he or she is not considered a "candidate" subject to reporting under the Act.
Other political committees that support Senate and House candidates in elections, but are not authorized units of a candidate''s campaign, are also required to file quarterly reports, unless they report monthly. Those committee names are not published by the FEC.
Further Commission action against non-filers and late filers is decided on a case-by-case basis. Federal law gives the FEC broad authority to initiate enforcement actions, and the FEC has implemented an Administrative Fine program with provisions for assessing monetary penalties.
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