1 BEFORE THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION

2 

3 ENFORCEMENT PRIORITY SYSTEM

4 DISMISSAL REPORT

5 

6 MUR: 8045 Respondents: Janice Winfrey for Congress and 

7 Bridgette M. Dawson in her official 

8 capacity as treasurer

9 Janice Winfrey

10 

11 Complaint Receipt Date: August 3, 2022 

12 Response Date: August 10, 2022 

13 

14 

15 

16 Alleged Statutory/ 

17 Regulatory Violations: 52 U.S.C. § 30120

18 11 C.F.R. § 110.11 

19 

20 The Complaint alleges that Janice Winfrey for Congress and Bridgette M. Dawson in her 

21 official capacity as treasurer (the “Committee”), the principal campaign committee of 2022 

22 candidate in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District, Janice Winfrey, violated the Federal Election 

23 Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the “Act”), and Commission regulations by failing to include a 

proper disclaimer on its website.

1 24 Complainant states that he personally visited the Committee’s 

25 website, janiceforcongress.com, on June 22, 2022, and observed that it did not contain any “paid for 

by” statement.

2 26 The Complaint includes eight screenshots of the campaign website captured on 

July 22, 2022, displaying no disclaimers.3 27 However, the screenshots show that the website included 

28 the Committee’s logo and had a statement signed by Janice Winfrey in her capacity as a candidate 

1

 Compl. at 1 (Aug. 3, 2022). Winfrey lost the Democratic primary election in August 2022 and is not currently 

a candidate for federal office. See Janice Winfrey, Statement of Candidacy at 1 (Feb. 11, 2022) (current statement of 

candidacy showing that Winfrey was a candidate during the 2022 election cycle); Janice Winfrey, BALLOTPEDIA,

https://ballotpedia.org/Janice_Winfrey (last visited Dec. 15, 2023) (showing that Winfrey lost the 2022 Democratic 

primary election and that her last federal candidacy was during the 2022 cycle). 

2

 Compl. at 1.

3

 Id. at 2-6. 

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EPS Dismissal Report

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for Congress.4 1 An archived version of the website further shows that the website included the 

language “Copyright Janice Winfrey 2022” at the bottom.5 2 The Response, submitted by both 

3 Winfrey and the Committee, appears to acknowledge that there were no disclaimers on the website 

and notes that the website is no longer active.6 4 

5 Based on its experience and expertise, the Commission has established an Enforcement 

6 Priority System using formal, pre-determined scoring criteria to allocate agency resources and 

7 assess whether particular matters warrant further administrative enforcement proceedings. These 

8 criteria include (1) the gravity of the alleged violation, taking into account both the type of activity 

9 and the amount in violation; (2) the apparent impact the alleged violation may have had on the 

10 electoral process; (3) the complexity of the legal issues raised in the matter; and (4) recent trends in 

11 potential violations and other developments in the law. This matter is rated as low priority for 

12 Commission action after application of these pre-established criteria. Given the low rating, and the 

13 unlikeliness that the general public would have been confused as to whether the Committee paid for 

14 the website as well as the apparent low amount in violation, we recommend that the Commission 

15 dismiss the Complaint consistent with the Commission’s prosecutorial discretion to determine the 

proper ordering of its priorities and use of agency resources.

7 16 We also recommend that the 

17 Commission close the file and send the appropriate letters. 

18 

19 

20 

4

 Id. at 3. 

5

 WINFREY FOR CONGRESS, https://janiceforcongress.com/ 

[https://web.archive.org/web/20220708043904/https://janiceforcongress.com/] (last visited Feb. 8, 2024). 

6

 Resp. at 1 (Aug. 10, 2022). During the 2022 election cycle, the Committee reported spending $6,850 on web 

design. JANICE WINFREY FOR CONGRESS – COMMITTEE OVERVIEW | FEC, 

https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00806125/?cycle=2022&tab=spending (last visited Feb. 9, 2024).

7

 Heckler v. Chaney, 470 U.S. 821, 831-32 (1985). 

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EPS Dismissal Report

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1 Lisa J. Stevenson 

2 Acting General Counsel

3 

4 

5 Charles Kitcher

6 Associate General Counsel 

7 

8 

9 

10 ___________________ BY: ___________________ 

11 Date Claudio J. Pavia 

12 Deputy Associate General Counsel 

13 

14 

15 ___________________ 

16 Wanda D. Brown

17 Assistant General Counsel

18 

19 

20 ____________________ 

21 Matthew Lupo

22 Attorney 

February 20, 2024

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