Loophole allows some donors to remain anonymous
moncler bambino saldi Millions raised through ‘lump sum’ donations moncler bambino saldi
moncler outlet online shop May 14, 2011By Julie Bykowicz, The Baltimore Sun moncler outlet online shop
moncler outlet trebaseleghe A loophole in state campaign finance laws allowed piumini moncler saldi contributors to Maryland candidates and political groups to pump $4.3 million into the 2010 election cycle while remaining anonymous denying citizens moncler saldi uomo a thorough look at the money that flows into piumini moncler scontatissimi politics. moncler outlet trebaseleghe
moncler saldi outlet The State Board of Elections discourages candidates from using the “lump sum” label on campaign finance reports, and Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has taken issue with the practice. But it remains legal and has been used by Democrats and Republicans alike, enabling some local candidates to finance their https://www.moncleroutlet-i.org races without disclosing large numbers of donors. moncler saldi outlet
moncler donna Critics say that grouping contributions together rather than itemizing them runs counter to the campaign finance system’s intent to provide transparency. moncler donna
moncler saldi uomo “It’s a loophole that’s being abused by people,” said Susan Wichmann, director of Common Cause Maryland, a good government group that pursues campaign finance reforms. “It needs to be closed.” Candidates who rely heavily upon lump sum reporting, Wichmann said, are moncler outlet serravalle “using it as a way to hide their donors.” moncler saldi uomo
moncler outlet serravalle But candidates who use the lump sum designation say it is a convenient way to report small donations. moncler outlet serravalle
piumini moncler uomo A Baltimore Sun analysis of data from the State Board of Elections found that while most candidates refrain from marking any contributions as lump moncler bambino saldi sums, some report large amounts of money that way. The top dozen users in the last election cycle reported a total of $318,602 in contributions without any donor information. piumini moncler uomo
piumini moncler outlet Among the findings: piumini moncler outlet
piumini moncler scontatissimi former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. led the pack with $71,917 in contributions from unnamed political clubs for his campaign last year against Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley. Although O’Malley noted some small lump sums in earlier elections, he does not appear to have collected such payments during the recent cycle. piumini moncler scontatissimi
Appropriations Committee Chairman Norman H. Conway was another heavy user. The Eastern Shore Democrat reported $38,257 in lump sum contributions mostly, he moncler saldi said, from ticket sales to a chicken and dumplings dinner held each January before the start of the legislative session.
moncler saldi Conaway, the clerk of Baltimore Circuit outlet moncler Court and a candidate for the Democratic nomination for mayor, reported $27,570 in lump sum contributions, nearly 40 percent moncler bambino outlet of the money he raised during the cycle. A political slate he shares with three family members raised $6,250 in unitemized donations, or 86 percent of the contributions it received. moncler saldi
Overall, lump sums accounted for 3 percent of the campaign contributions in moncler bambino saldi the January 2007 to December 2010 election cycle.
State Board of Elections officials call the lump sum designation difficult to verify and problematic for transparency.
piumini moncler saldi “The preferred practice is always to disclose,” said Jared DeMarinis, director of candidacy and campaign finance for the board. “You have the option to use lump sum, but if you’re audited and your records don’t match up, you’ve got a problem.” piumini moncler saldi
moncler outlet online uomo Under the law, an individual who donates less than $51 need not be issued a receipt. And any donations that do not generate receipts can be lumped together and reported as a single sum. moncler outlet online uomo
moncler outlet When a donor reaches $51 moncler uomo in moncler saldi outlet contributions through a series of transactions over four years, the individual’s moncler donna identity piumini moncler uomo must disclosed to the board. moncler outlet There’s no limit on how much a candidate can report as a lump sum. moncler outlet
piumini moncler Elections officials acknowledge that the laws and policies on lump sums can seem confusing. The original intent of the designation, which has been allowed at least since 1978, was to make it easier for candidates to report nominal donations at campaign events, such as raffle tickets. Political action committees, including those for moncler outlet online shop the Fraternal Order of Police, moncler outlet trebaseleghe often label small fees collected regularly from members as lump sums. piumini moncler
outlet moncler But while they are not required to disclose such contributions, candidates and political organizations are supposed to collect and retain information for every donor. outlet moncler
moncler bambino outlet Critics of lump sum reporting say that because candidates must keep the data anyway, the public should be allowed to review it. moncler bambino outlet
moncler uomo “The whole purpose of disclosure is to make it so that a person can quickly and piumini moncler outlet readily determine who is piumini moncler giving to whom and how much,” said Gansler, who convened a group last year to study campaign finance. “There ought to be a requirement that anyone who contributes, whether it is $1 or $4,000, be identified in moncler outlet online uomo public reports. It goes to the heart of transparency.” moncler uomo
Maryland is one of 49 states that allow candidates to report contributions of a certain amount without disclosing who gave the money, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics. Only Florida requires that every dollar donated to a candidate be itemized, the group says.
