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Ohio political parties make progress in disclosure

   
For immediate release: May 24, 1999

Contact: Laura Yeomans (330) 343-9588

In 1997 and 1998, Ohio Republican and Democratic party committees voluntarily disclosed 96 percent or more of the addresses of their contributors, according to a new report released today by Ohio Citizen Action.

"We commend the Ohio Republican Party and the Ohio Democratic Party committees for their open door policy about their contributors," said Laura Yeomans, research director for Ohio Citizen Action. "Ohio law exempts political party committees from the requirement of providing the full addresses of contributors, something statewide and legislative candidates must provide. Ohio's Republican and Democratic parties choose voluntarily to go above and beyond the law."

"This is a wonderful advance over the 1995-1996 period, when the Ohio Republican Party committees disclosed 92 percent or more of the contributions they received and Ohio Democratic Party committee funds disclosed 17 percent or less of the addresses of contributors," Yeomans said. "However, there is still room to improve."

In 1997-1998 only a few political parties disclosed the employers of individual contributors who gave more than $100. Statewide and state legislative candidates are required to make this kind of disclosure, political parties were exempted.

"In 1997 and 1998 the Republican Senate Campaign Committee voluntarily disclosed the employers for 96 percent of the dollar amount of contributions from individual contributors who gave more than $100. The Ohio House Republican Campaign Committee disclosed 91 percent. The Ohio Democratic Party committees voluntarily disclosed 83 percent and the ODP State Candidate Fund disclosed 82 percent of the employers of contributors," Yeomans said.

"We commend the Ohio House Republican Campaign Committee, the Ohio Democratic Party, the Ohio Democratic Party State Candidate Fund, and the Republican Senate Campaign Committee for this voluntary disclosure." Yeomans urged other party committees to follow this example.

The report made the following recommendations:

  1. Political party committees in Ohio should be required to disclose the full name and address of contributors, including the name, street address, city, state and zip code of contributors.
  2. Political party committees in Ohio should be required to disclose the employer of contributors who give more than $100, so that voters will have important information about the economic source and interests of contributors.
  3. This kind of information should be filed electronically by parties and candidates and quickly posted on the Internet by the Ohio Secretary of State. H.B. 119, sponsored by by Rep. Ron Amstutz of Wooster would accomplish this.

Ohio Citizen Action campaigns on issues from public health and the environment to utility and insurance rates. A non-profit non-partisan organization, Citizen Action was founded in 1976.

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