Campaign finance agencies in Ohio
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In Ohio, there are two primary agencies involved in campaign finance regulation: the Ohio Secretary of State Elections Division an then Ohio Elections Commission. The former oversees campaign finance reporting requirements, and the latter enforces campaign finance law.
- See also: Campaign finance requirements in Ohio
Ohio Secretary of State
Authority
Ohio law requires candidates and PACs to report finances, contributions, and expenditures to the secretary of state. The secretary of state is authorized to prepare and prescribe the forms used for reporting and set the rules for reporting.[1]
Agency budget, 2008-2014
In fiscal year 2014, the budget for the office of the secretary of state was $17,036,000. The table below provides information about the budget of the office in previous years.[2]
| Ohio Secretary of State—agency budget and expenditures | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fiscal year | Budget/expenses (in thousands) | |
| 2014 | $17,036 | |
| 2013 | $20,637 | |
| 2012 | $21,811 | |
| 2011 | $19,496 | |
| 2010 | $20,688 | |
| 2009 | $29,100 | |
| 2008 | $22,046 | |
| Source: obm.ohio.gov, "Operating Budget," accessed August 20, 2015 | ||
Electronic reporting system
Ohio allows for the online filing of campaign finance reports. The system can be accessed here. Reports are available publicly here.
Ohio Elections Commission
Authority
The Ohio Elections Commission is authorized to investigate complaints of campaign finance violations. The commission must hold a hearing within 90 days of a complaint, during which time the commission can decide to impose a fine or refer the complaint to a prosecutor to pursue criminal charges.[3]
Organization
The commission consists of seven members appointed to five-year terms. Six members are appointed by the governor. The first six members are chosen from lists of five prepared by the legislative leaders of both houses of the state general assembly. The governor appoints three members from each list. The seventh member is chosen by the other six. The seventh member must not be affiliated with a political party. No more than three members can be from the same political party, and no more than six can be affiliated with any political party. The commission may employ the staff necessary to carry out its duties. The table below provides more information about the commission's members as of August 2015.[4]
| Ohio Elections Commission—members as of August 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Political party | Term expiration |
| Helen E. Balcolm | Chair | Republican | 12/31/2018 |
| Terrance J. Conroy | Vice-Chair | Democrat | 12/31/2016 |
| Kimberly G. Allison | Member | Republican | 12/31/2016 |
| Lynn A. Grimshaw | Member | Independent | 12/31/2016 |
| Jayme Smoot | Member | Democrat | 12/31/2017 |
| William L. Vasil | Member | Republican | 12/31/2017 |
| Degee Wilhelm | Member | Democrat | 12/31/2018 |
| Source: elc.ohio.gov, "Members/Staff," accessed August 10, 2015 | |||
Agency budget
In fiscal year 2014, the commission had a total budget of $577,000. The table below provides information about the commission's budget in previous years.[2]
| Ohio Elections Commission—agency budget and expenditures | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fiscal year | Budget/expenses (in thousands) | |
| 2014 | $577 | |
| 2013 | $548 | |
| 2012 | $554 | |
| 2011 | $526 | |
| 2010 | $566 | |
| 2009 | $610 | |
| 2008 | $614 | |
| Source: obm.ohio.gov, "Operating Budget," accessed August 20, 2015 | ||
Contact information
Ohio Secretary of State
- 180 E. Broad St., 16th Floor
- Columbus, Ohio 43215
- Telephone: (614) 466-2655
Ohio Elections Commission
- 21 West Broad Street, Suite 600
- Columbus, Ohio 43215
- Telephone: (614) 466-3205
- Fax: (614) 748-9408
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Campaign finance Ohio. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ summitcountyboe.com, "2013 Campaign Finance Handbook," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 obm.ohio.gov, "State of Ohio Budget Recommendations for Fiscal Years 2016-2017,"
- ↑ elc.ohio.gov, "3517.155 Hearings; investigations," accessed August 20, 2015
- ↑ elc.ohio.gov, "3517.152 Creation and membership of elections commission; elections commission fund," accessed August 10, 2015
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