COLUMBUS | State lawmakers are poised to let
themselves off the hook for filing their campaign finance reports
electronically and to roll back the requirement that statewide
candidates file electronically, as well.
A 1999 law requires candidates for statewide office to file
e-reports as of January 2001; legislative candidates must do so
beginning in January.
But state Sen. Jeff Jacobson, R-Butler Twp., slipped an amendment
into a bill during a conference committee Tuesday night to remove
those requirements. The Senate unanimously agreed to the changes in
the bill Wednesday.
Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell on Wednesday urged House
lawmakers to vote against the revised bill and made a case to Gov.
Bob Taft to veto the bill if it reaches his desk.
"The proposed amendment to Ohio's electronic filing law is a step
backward for campaign finance reform and disclosure. The rolling
back of these mandatory requirements denies Ohioans the transparency
necessary for them to know quickly the sources of money that are
influencing the political process," Blackwell said. "At the very
least, this measure should receive a public debate."
He added, "Sen. Jacobson has declared war on open government,
accountability and modern reporting."
Jacobson, however, said Blackwell's software for filing the
reports is difficult to use, particularly for unsophisticated
candidates.
"It's an incredible hardship for campaigns," he said.
Blackwell countered that his staff offers help for anyone having
trouble and, "There's been no pattern of widespread incapability in
working with this system."
Jacobson's amendment would require candidates to file their
reports three days early and to pay a higher filing fee to cover the
cost of data entry. He said it's up to the secretary of state to put
the data online for Ohioans.
"The goal here is to find the best public servants, not the best
computer geeks," Jacobson said.
Statewide candidates were included in the bill so lawmakers
aren't accused of writing an amendment just for themselves, Jacobson
said.
Ohio Citizen Action, a nonpartisan watchdog group, scolded
lawmakers for making it more difficult for the public to get
contribution information before elections and for acting in a way
that provided little time for public comment and deliberation.
"Filing electronically makes for timely information. When
candidates file electronically, the information is posted directly,
which avoids data-entry problems," said Catherine Turcer, the
group's campaign reform director. "Candidates need to find only one
volunteer who is familiar with computers. Filing electronically
should not block grassroots' candidates because the filing threshold
is $10,000 per filing period."
Blackwell also criticized lawmakers for taking last-minute
action.
"I think what is telling is that this was done in the 11th hour
of a lame-duck session in the shadows of the evening without the
benefit of public debate. The message is in the method," Blackwell
said.
Contact Laura A. Bischoff at (614) 224-1624 or
lbischoff@coxohio.com
[From the Dayton
Daily News: 12.05.2002]
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