This requirement is important because it shows voters the special interests supporting the candidates, and the possible influence they wield over how those candidates vote on public policy. Most of the 171 donations included no information about occupation or employment. In 51 cases occupational information was included, but it was so vague that it provided no clues about the contributor s interest. In 291 additional instances, legislative campaigns technically violated election laws by failing to identify the contributor s employer.
Candidates have a legal obligation to disclose the occupation and employer of their big donors.
Now it s the State Elections Board s job to require them to obtain and disclose the information, and to take disciplinary action against those who haven t complied with the law. McCabe said enforcement of the disclosure law has been lax and should be stepped up. If candidates couldn t accept these big donations until they had the required occupation and employer information, they d get it. In addition to missing employment data, one legislator, Republican Rep. David Ward of Fort Atkinson did not file a complete report, which was due July 20, until Aug. 21. Others failed to disclose contributor information or contributions.