About two-dozen candidates, including four Democrats who won their party’s nomination for statewide office, agreed Tuesday to pay ethics fines for failing to properly file campaign disclosure forms.
The cases all involved new, more detailed financial disclosure forms that statewide candidates have to fill out with the aim of providing voters with as much information as possible to determine whether hopefuls have potential conflicts of interest.
Among the new requirements this year was that candidates had to disclose their income the past five years and the source of those earnings. They had to file personal financial disclosures within seven days of qualifying for office.
An agency audit of the personal financial disclosure filings snagged the candidates who didn’t do it right or on time.
Some statewide candidates appeared before the commission Tuesday saying they had trouble figuring out how and what to report. David Emadi, the commission’s executive secretary, said there are sample forms on the agency’s website to help guide candidates, and that he sent them emails explaining how to do it.
Most of those tripped up by the new reporting requirement — such as failed long-shot Republican gubernatorial hopefuls Kandiss Taylor and Catherine Davis, and Congressman-turned-Secretary of State hopeful Jody Hice — lost their primaries.
But four Democrats who will be on the fall ballot agreed to pay fines to settle cases against them as well:
- State Sen. Jen Jordan, who’s running for attorney general, agreed to pay $625 for not initially disclosing her yearly income in her filing.
- State Rep. William Boddie, a candidate for labor commissioner, agreed to pay $1,125 for failing to file his disclosure on time.
- Alisha Searcy, a nominee for state school superintendent, agreed to pay $1,125 for failing to file her disclosure on time.
- Janice Laws Robinson, who’s bidding for insurance commissioner, agreed to pay $625 for not initially fully disclosing her income.
In all, the candidates agreed to pay the commission a little more than $18,000 in fines and late fees.
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