The state Elections Division has ruled that State Rep. Donna Nelson, R-McMinnville, violated election laws by failing to accurately report campaign contributions during the 2006 primary and general elections. Nelson could be fined as much as $3,725 in civil penalties for 13 campaign finance violations identified by the Elections Division, said Jennifer Hertel, a division compliance specialist.
Nelson was cleared of criminal violations. Officials ruled she didn't knowingly make false statements on her campaign finance reports.
The investigation stemmed from an elections complaint by Debbie Runciman, a political activist who has worked for House Democratic lawmakers. Runciman's complaint was sparked by Nelson's Oct. 2, 2006, statement stipulating that she wouldn't raise or spend more than $2,000 in the general election. Such filings enable candidates to avoid submitting detailed lists of campaign spending and contributions.
Nelson later reported "receiving" several campaign checks from trade groups, starting a few days after the Oct. 2 filing, that put her above the $2,000 threshold.
The Elections Division found that many of the checks had been written and delivered to Nelson a month or more earlier.
Nelson said Friday that she hadn't opened all her mail because she was busy running a low-budget campaign on her own.
"We get massive mail," Nelson said. "I just didn't pay attention to it. I figured after the campaign I could worry about it."
Nelson said she never solicited any contributions from lobbyists, and thus had little reason to know the mail contained checks for her campaign.
However, she told the Elections Division that the unopened mail included two envelopes hand-delivered to her by prominent Republican lobbyist Larry Campbell and Realtors lobbyist Harlan Levy.
Nelson said she always planned on running a low-budget campaign. But the success of Democratic challenger Sal Peralta's under-the-radar campaign took her by surprise.
House Republicans' elections team, working to retain their House majority in 2006, intervened, warning Nelson to change her strategy to fend off Peralta.
"When it became apparent that my race was targeted, I was told I should get busy and change my plans, and was reminded by leadership to check to see if I had received funds in the mail," Nelson wrote to the Elections Division.
Election Division officials took Nelson at her word, accepting her explanation that she had not checked her mail, Hertel said.
But officials said Nelson violated elections laws by failing to deposit campaign contributions within a week of receiving them, and failing to keep detailed accounts of her contributions and expenditures, which are supposed to be kept current within seven days.
Officials ruled that Nelson should have filed three detailed campaign contribution and expenditure reports. Nelson also should have reported eight campaign checks on an earlier report, Hertel said.
Officials also determined that Nelson shouldn't have filed an April 10, 2006, form saying she wouldn't raise or spend more than $2,000 in the primary. That was invalid, because Nelson had given her campaign $5,000 from her own funds on Oct. 17, 2005, Hertel said.
(statesmanjournal.com)
