ProgressOhio: Right-Wing Group Hid Campaign Cash

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(Just got this as an email.)

A group that in 2004 advocated for passage of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage appears to have intentionally concealed its campaign donors and expenses, according to a complaint filed earlier today with Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

Citizens for Community Values Action raised and spent more than $1.4 million to promote the amendment, known as Issue 1, but filed no campaign finance reports in 2004 or 2005.

CCVA’s only campaign finance report lists spending just $42,286.58, but those expenses are listed in 2006.

In forms filed with the IRS, however, CCVA it "advocated’" for Issue 1’s passage “through newsletters, newspaper ads, radio ads and televisions ads; succeeded in amending the Ohio state constitution."

In separate campaign reports required of corporations, CCVA said it gave more than $1.4 million to the pro-Issue 1 campaign, and that money was spent on television advertising, campaign mailings, polling and other campaign-related activities.

"The timing of the creation of CCVA, and the money it spent to promote Issue 1, suggest it was created to try and end-run campaign disclosure laws,’" said Brian Rothenberg, ProgressOhio’s executive director. Non-profits can give to ballot issues but they still have to follow Ohio’s election laws, he said, and those laws require PACs to detail the sources of their donations and expenditures.

"Transparency in elections is a value that must be enforced,’" Rothenberg said, "and whether this was an oversight or an effort to deceive is something the secretary of state will have to determine."

[Vincardog]

1. If is Ohio's Secretary of State that will have to determine whether this was

an oversight or an effort to deceive