Source: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/WVCODE/code.cfm?chap=03&art=12&section=9
Timestamp: 2016-08-31 22:02:20
Document Index: 393860830

Matched Legal Cases: ['§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3']

Chapter 3 | Article 3 - 12
| Section 9
3 - 12 - 1 3 - 12 - 2 3 - 12 - 3 3 - 12 - 4 3 - 12 - 5 3 - 12 - 6 3 - 12 - 7 3 - 12 - 8 3 - 12 - 9 3 - 12 - 10 3 - 12 - 11 3 - 12 - 12 3 - 12 - 13 3 - 12 - 14 3 - 12 - 15 3 - 12 - 16 3 - 12 - 17 WVC 3- CHAPTER 3. ELECTIONS.
ARTICLE 12 - WEST VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCING PILOT PROGRAM
ARTICLE 12. WEST VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS PUBLIC
CAMPAIGN FINANCING PILOT PROGRAM.
WVC 3 - 12 - 1 §3-12-1. Short title.
This article is known as the "West Virginia Supreme Court of
Appeals Public Campaign Financing Program."
WVC 3 - 12 - 2 §3-12-2. Legislative findings and declarations.
(1) Current campaign finance laws permit candidates to spend
unlimited amounts of money raised from private sources;
(2) Current campaign finance laws permit certain independent
parties to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence
the outcome of elections;
(3) Over the last decade, fundraising and campaign
expenditures in elections for a seat on the Supreme Court of
Appeals have dramatically increased in West Virginia;
(4) In 2000, candidates running for a seat on the Supreme
Court of Appeals raised a total of $1.4 million;
(5) In 2004, candidates running for a seat on the Supreme
Court of Appeals raised a total of $2.8 million;
(6) In 2008, candidates running for a seat on the Supreme
Court of Appeals raised a total of $3.3 million;
(7) In 2012, candidates running for a seat on the Supreme
Court of Appeals raised a total of $3.7 million.
(8) As spending by candidates and independent parties
increases, so does the perception that contributors and interested
third parties hold too much influence over the judicial process;
(9) The detrimental effects of spending large amounts by
candidates and independent parties are especially problematic in
judicial elections because impartiality is uniquely important to
the integrity and credibility of courts;
(10) As demonstrated by the 2012 West Virginia Supreme Court
of Appeals Public Campaign Financing Pilot Program, an alternative
public campaign financing option for candidates running for a seat
on the Supreme Court of Appeals will ensure the fairness of
democratic elections in this state, protect the Constitutional
rights of voters and candidates from the detrimental effects of
increasingly large amounts of money being raised and spent to
influence the outcome of elections, protect the impartiality and
integrity of the judiciary, and strengthen public confidence in the
judiciary; and
(11) Funding the "West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
Public Campaign Financing Program" from a wide range of revenue
sources furthers important state interests in protecting the
integrity of judicial elections and serves to protect the public
WVC 3 - 12 - 3 §3-12-3. Definitions.
As used in this article, the following terms and phrases have
(1) "Candidate's committee" means a political committee
established with the approval of or in cooperation with a candidate
or a prospective candidate to explore the possibilities of seeking
(2) "Certified candidate" means an individual seeking election
to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals who has been
certified in accordance with section ten of this article as having
met all of the requirements for receiving public campaign financing
(3) "Contribution" means a gift subscription, assessment,
payment for services, dues, advance, donation, pledge, contract,
agreement, forbearance or promise of money or other tangible thing
of value, whether conditional or legally enforceable, or a transfer
of money or other tangible thing of value to a person, made for the
purpose of influencing the nomination, election or defeat of a
candidate. An offer or tender of a contribution is not a
contribution if expressly and unconditionally rejected or returned. A contribution does not include volunteer personal services provided without compensation: Provided, That a nonmonetary
(4) "Exploratory contribution" means a contribution of no more
than $1,000 made by an individual adult, including a participating
candidate and members of his or her immediate family, during the
exploratory period but prior to filing the declaration of intent. Exploratory contributions may not exceed $20,000 in the aggregate.
(5) "Exploratory period" means the period during which a
participating candidate may raise and spend exploratory
contributions to examine his or her chances of election and to
qualify for public campaign financing under this article. The
exploratory period begins on January 1 the year before the election
in which the candidate may run for Justice of the Supreme Court of
Appeals and ends on the last Saturday in January of the election
(6) "Financial agent" means any individual acting for and by
(7) "Fund" means the Supreme Court of Appeals Public Campaign
Financing Fund created by section five of this article.
(8) "Immediate family" or "immediate family members" means the spouse, parents, step-parents, siblings and children of the
participating candidate.
(9) "Nonparticipating candidate" means a candidate who is:
(A) Seeking election to the Supreme Court of Appeals;
(B) Is neither certified nor attempting to be certified to
receive public campaign financing from the fund; and
(C) Has an opponent who is a participating or certified
(10) "Nonpartisan judicial election campaign period" means the
period beginning on the first day of the primary election filing
period, as determined under section seven, article five of this
chapter, and ending on the day of the nonpartisan judicial
(11) "Participating candidate" means a candidate who is
seeking election to the Supreme Court of Appeals and is attempting
to be certified in accordance with section ten of this article to
receive public campaign financing from the fund.
(12) "Person" means an individual, partnership, committee,
association and any other organization or group of individuals.
(13) "Qualifying contribution" means a contribution received
from a West Virginia registered voter of not less than $1 nor more
than $100 in the form of cash, check or money order, made payable
to a participating candidate or the candidate's committee, or in
the form of an electronic payment or debit or credit card payment,
received during the qualifying period.
(14) "Qualifying period" means the period during which
participating candidates may raise and spend qualifying
contributions in order to qualify to receive public campaign
For candidates seeking to be placed on the nonpartisan
judicial election ballot, the qualifying period begins on September
1 preceding the election year and ends on the last Saturday in
January of the election year.
WVC 3 - 12 - 4 §3-12-4. Alternative public campaign financing option.
This article establishes an alternative public campaign
financing option available to candidates for election to the office
of Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Candidates electing the alternative public campaign financing
option shall comply with all other applicable election and campaign
laws and rules.
WVC 3 - 12 - 5 §3-12-5. Supreme Court of Appeals Public Campaign Financing Fund.
There is established within the State Treasury a special
revenue fund to be known as the "Supreme Court of Appeals Public
Campaign Financing Fund" for the dual purpose of providing public
financing for the election campaigns of certified candidates under
the provisions of this article and of paying the administrative and
enforcement costs of the Secretary of State and State Election
Commission related to this article. All moneys collected under the
provisions of this article shall be deposited in the fund, which
shall be administered by the State Election Commission. Funds may
also be accepted from any gift, grant, bequest, endowment fund or
donation which may be received by the State Election Commission
from any person, firm, foundation or corporation. Any balance,
including accrued interest or other earnings in the fund at the end
of any fiscal year do not revert to the General Revenue Fund, but
shall remain in the fund. Expenditures may be made from the fund
only for the purposes set forth in this article and in accordance
with the provisions of article three, chapter twelve of this code
and upon fulfillment of the provisions of article two, chapter
eleven-b of this code.
WVC 3 - 12 - 6 §3-12-6. Sources of revenue for the fund.
Revenue from the following sources shall be deposited in the
(1) All exploratory and qualifying contributions in excess of
the established maximums;
(2) Money returned by participating or certified candidates
who fail to comply with this article;
(3) Unspent or unobligated moneys allotted to certified
candidates and remaining unspent or unobligated on the date of the nonpartisan judicial election for which the money was distributed;
(4) If a certified candidate loses, all remaining unspent or
unobligated moneys;
(5) Civil penalties levied by the State Election Commission
against candidates for violations of this article;
(6) Civil penalties levied by the Secretary of State pursuant
to section seven, article eight of this chapter;
(8) Any interest income or other return earned on the money's
(9) On or before July 1, 2010, and for two successive years
thereafter, the State Auditor shall authorize the transfer of the
amount of $1 million from the Purchasing Card Administration Fund
established in section ten-d, article three, chapter twelve of this
code to the fund created by this article;
(10) On or before July 1, 2015, the state Auditor shall authorize the transfer of the amount of $400,000 from the
Purchasing Card Administration Fund established in section ten-d,
article three, chapter twelve of this code to the fund created by
WVC 3 - 12 - 7 §3-12-7. Declaration of intent.
A candidate desiring to receive campaign financing from the
fund shall first file a declaration of intent before the end of the
qualifying period and prior to collecting any qualifying
contributions. The declaration shall be on a form prescribed by
the State Election Commission and shall contain a statement that
the candidate is qualified to be placed on the ballot, and, if
elected, to hold the office sought and has complied with and will
continue to comply with all requirements of this article, including
contribution and expenditure restrictions. A candidate may not
collect exploratory contributions after filing the declaration of
intent. Contributions made prior to the filing of the declaration
of intent are not qualifying contributions. Any contributions
received by a candidate during any precandidacy period which
preceded the exploratory period which remain unexpended at the time
of the declaration of intent shall be considered exploratory funds
and subject to the limits and provisions of section eight of this
WVC 3 - 12 - 8 §3-12-8. Exploratory period; contributions; expenditures.
(a) A participating candidate or his or her committee may not
accept, spend or obligate exploratory contributions exceeding
$20,000 in the aggregate, during the exploratory period. At the
time the participating candidate formally declares his or her
intent to qualify for public campaign financing, in accordance with
section five of this article, any unexpended or undedicated
contributions received during any precandidacy period which
preceded the exploratory period shall be deemed to be exploratory
contributions for that candidate. The maximum individual
exploratory contribution which may be accepted from any person
including immediate family members is $1,000. A participating
candidate may loan, contribute or obligate up to $1,000 of his or
her own money for exploratory purposes. Any exploratory
contributions received by the participating candidate in excess of
$20,000 in the aggregate shall be sent to the Election Commission
for deposit in the fund.
(b) Each exploratory contribution shall be acknowledged by a
written receipt. Receipts for exploratory contributions of $250 or
more during an election cycle shall include the contributor's name,
residence and mailing address, business affiliation and occupation. Receipts for exploratory contributions of less than $250 shall
include the contributor's name and the amount of the contribution,
and otherwise comport with the disclosure and reporting
requirements of section five-a, article eight of this chapter.
(c) An exploratory contribution from one person may not be
made in the name of another person.
(d) At the beginning of each month a participating or
certified candidate or his or her financial agent shall report all
exploratory contributions, expenditures and obligations along with
all receipts for contributions received during the prior month to
the Secretary of State. Such reports shall be filed
electronically: Provided, That a committee may apply for an
exemption in case of hardship pursuant to subsection (c) of section
five-b, article eight of this chapter. If the candidate decides
not to run for office all unspent or unobligated exploratory
contributions shall be sent to the State Election Commission for
deposit in the fund. If the candidate decides to run for office as
a nonparticipating candidate the unspent or unobligated exploratory
contributions shall be used in accordance with articles eight and
twelve of this chapter.
WVC 3 - 12 - 9 §3-12-9. Qualifying contributions.
(a) A participating candidate or his or her candidate's
committee may not accept more than one qualifying contribution from
a single individual. A qualifying contribution may not be less
than $1 nor more than $100. To be considered as a proper
qualifying contribution, the qualifying contribution must be made
by a registered West Virginia voter. A participating candidate
shall collect qualifying contributions which in the aggregate are
not less than $35,000 nor more than $50,000. Qualifying
contributions in excess of $50,000 shall be sent to the State
Election Commission for deposit in the fund.
(b) Each qualifying contribution shall be acknowledged by a
written receipt that includes:
(1) The printed name of the participating candidate on whose
behalf the contribution is made and the signature of the person who
collected the contribution for the candidate or his or her
candidate's committee;
(2) For qualifying contributions of $25 or more, the
contributor's signature, printed name, street address, zip code,
telephone number, occupation and name of employer; and for
qualifying contributions of less than $25, the contributor's
signature, printed name, street address and zip code;
(A) The contributor understands the purpose of the
contribution is to assist the participating candidate in obtaining public campaign financing;
(C) The contributor has not been reimbursed, received or
promised anything of value for making the contribution; and
(4) One copy of the receipt shall be given to the contributor,
one copy shall be retained by the candidate and one copy shall be
sent by the candidate to the Secretary of State. A contribution
which is not acknowledged by a written receipt in the form required
by this subsection is not a qualifying contribution.
(c) During the qualifying period, a participating candidate or
his or her candidate's committee must obtain at least five hundred
qualifying contributions from registered West Virginia voters. A
minimum of ten percent of the total number of qualifying
contributions received by the candidate must be from each of the
state's congressional districts.
(d) A participating candidate and each member of the
candidate's immediate family who is a registered voter in this
state may each make one qualifying contribution. A participating
candidate may not use any other personal funds to satisfy the
qualifying contributions requirements.
(e) A participating candidate may not reimburse, give or
promise anything of value in exchange for a qualifying
(f) At the beginning of each month, a participating or
certified candidate or his or her financial agent or committee shall report all qualifying contributions, expenditures and
obligations along with all receipts for contributions received
during the prior month to the Secretary of State. Such reports
shall be filed electronically: Provided, That a committee may
apply for an exemption in case of hardship pursuant to subsection
(c) of section five-b, article eight of this chapter. If the
candidate decides not to run for office, all unspent or unobligated
qualifying contributions shall be sent to the State Election
Commission for deposit in the fund. If the candidate decides to
run for office as a nonparticipating candidate, the unspent or
unobligated qualifying contributions shall be used in accordance
with articles eight and twelve of this chapter.
(g) All qualifying contributions collected and all
expenditures by a participating candidate or his or her committee
shall be reported to the Secretary of State no later than two
business days after the close of the qualifying period.
(h) (1) Individuals are limited to not more than one $100
contribution during the qualifying period.
(2) An individual may not contribute more than $1,000 in the
aggregate in exploratory and qualifying contributions.
(3) All contributions to candidates participating in the West
Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Public Campaign Financing Program
shall be collected by the candidates's designated financial agent.
WVC 3 - 12 - 10 §3-12-10. Certification of candidates.
(a) To be certified, a participating candidate shall apply to
the State Election Commission for public campaign financing from
the fund and file a sworn statement that he or she has complied and
will comply with all requirements of this article throughout the
applicable campaign.
(b) Upon receipt of a notice from the Secretary of State that
a participating candidate has received the required number and
amount of qualifying contributions, the State Election Commission
shall determine whether the candidate or candidate's committee:
(1) Has signed and filed a declaration of intent as required
by section seven of this article;
(2) Has obtained the required number and amount of qualifying
contributions as required by section nine of this article;
(3) Has complied with the contribution restrictions of this
(4) Is eligible, as provided in section nine, article five of
this chapter, to appear on the nonpartisan judicial election
ballot; and
(5) Has met all other requirements of this article.
(c) The State Election Commission shall process applications
in the order they are received and shall verify a participating
candidate's compliance with the requirements of subsection (b) of
this section by using the verification and sampling techniques
approved by the State Election Commission.
(d) The State Election Commission shall determine whether to
certify a participating candidate as eligible to receive public
campaign financing no later than three business days after the
candidate or the candidate's committee makes his or her final
report of qualifying contributions or, if a challenge is filed
under subsection (g) of this section, no later than six business
days after the candidate or the candidate's committee makes his or
her final report of qualifying contributions. A certified
candidate shall comply with this article through the nonpartisan
judicial election campaign period.
(e) No later than two business days after the State Election
Commission certifies that a participating candidate is eligible to
receive public campaign financing under this section, the State
Election Commission, acting in concert with the State Auditor's
office and the State Treasurer's office, shall cause a check to be
issued to the candidate's campaign depository account an amount
equal to the public campaign financing benefit for which the
candidate qualifies under section eleven of this article, minus the
candidate's qualifying contributions, and shall notify all other
candidates for the same office of its determination.
(f) If the candidate desires to receive public financing
benefits by electronic transfer, the candidate shall include in his
or her application sufficient information and authorization for the
State Treasurer to transfer payments to his or her campaign
depository account.
(g) Any person may challenge the validity of any contribution
listed by a participating candidate by filing a written challenge
with the State Election Commission setting forth any reason why the
contribution should not be accepted as a qualifying contribution.
If a contribution is challenged under this subsection, the State
Election Commission shall decide the validity of the challenge no
later than the end of the next business day after the day that the
challenge is filed, unless the State Election Commission determines
that the candidate whose contribution is challenged has both a
sufficient qualifying number and amount of qualifying contributions
to be certified as a candidate under this section without
considering the challenge. Within five business days of a
challenge, the candidate or candidate's committee who listed any
contribution that is the subject of a challenge may file a report
with the State Election Commission of an additional contribution
collected pursuant to section nine of this article for
consideration as a qualifying contribution.
(h) A candidate's certification and receipt of public campaign
financing may be revoked by the State Election Commission, if the
candidate violates this article. A certified candidate who violates
this article shall repay all moneys received from the fund to the
State Election Commission.
(i) The determination of any issue before the State Election
Commission is the final administrative determination. Any meetings
conducted by the State Elections Commission to certify a candidate's eligibility to receive funds under this article shall
not be subject the public notice and open meeting requirements of
article nine-a, chapter six of this code, but the commission shall
concurrently provide public notice of any decision and
determination it makes which impacts the candidate's eligibility to
receive funds pursuant to this article. Any person adversely
affected by a decision of the State Election Commission under this
article may appeal that decision to the circuit court of Kanawha
(j) A candidate may withdraw from being a certified candidate
and become a nonparticipating candidate at any time with the
approval of the State Election Commission. Any candidate seeking to
withdraw shall file a written request with the State Election
Commission, which shall consider requests on a case-by-case basis.
No certified candidate may withdraw until he or she has repaid all
moneys received from the fund: Provided, That the State Election
Commission may, in exceptional circumstances, waive the repayment
requirement. The State Election Commission may assess a penalty not
to exceed $10,000 against any candidate who withdraws without
WVC 3 - 12 - 11 §3-12-11. Schedule and amount of Supreme Court of Appeals Public
Campaign Financing Fund payments.
(a) The State Election Commission, acting in concert with the
State Auditor's office and the State Treasurer's office, shall have
a check issued within two business days after the date on which the
candidate is certified, to make payments from the fund for the
nonpartisan judicial election campaign period available to a
certified candidate.
In a contested nonpartisan judicial election, a certified
candidate shall receive $525,000 in campaign financing from the
fund, minus the certified candidate's qualifying contributions.
(b) The State Election Commission shall authorize the
distribution of campaign financing moneys to certified candidates
in equal amounts. The commission shall propose a legislative rule
on distribution of funds.
(c) The State Election Commission may not authorize or direct
the distribution of moneys to certified candidates in excess of the
total amount of money deposited in the fund pursuant to section six
of this article. If the commission determines that the money in
the fund is insufficient to totally fund all certified candidates,
the commission shall authorize the distribution of the remaining
money proportionally, according to each candidate's eligibility for
funding. Each candidate may raise additional money in the same
manner as a nonparticipating candidate for the same office up to
the unfunded amount of the candidate's eligible funding.
WVC 3 - 12 - 12 §3-12-12. Restrictions on contributions and expenditures.
(a) A certified candidate or his or her committee may not
accept loans or contributions from any private source, including
the personal funds of the candidate and the candidate's immediate
family, during the nonpartisan judicial election campaign period
except as permitted by this article.
(b) After filing the declaration of intent and during the
qualifying period, a participating candidate may not spend or
obligate more than he or she has collected in exploratory and
qualifying contributions. After the qualifying period and through
the nonpartisan judicial election campaign period, a certified
candidate may spend or obligate any unspent exploratory or
qualifying contributions and the moneys he or she receives from the
fund under the provisions of section eleven of this article.
(c) A participating or certified candidate may expend
exploratory and qualifying contributions and funds received from
the fund only for lawful election expenses as provided in section
nine, article eight of this chapter. Moneys distributed to a
certified candidate from the fund may be expended only during the
nonpartisan judicial election campaign period for which funds were
dispersed. Money from the fund may not be used:
(1) In violation of the law;
(2) To repay any personal, family or business loans,
expenditures or debts; or
(3) To help any other candidate.
(d) A certified candidate or his or her committee shall return
to the fund any unspent and unobligated exploratory contributions,
qualifying contributions or moneys received from the fund within
forty-eight hours after the date on which the candidate ceases to
(e) A certified candidate or his or her committee shall return
to the fund any unspent or unobligated public campaign financing
funds no later than five business days after the nonpartisan
judicial election.
(f) A contribution from one person may not be made in the name
(g) A participating or certified candidate or his or her
committee receiving qualifying contributions or exploratory
contributions from a person not listed on the receipt required by
sections eight and nine of this article is liable to the State
Election Commission for the entire amount of that contribution and
any applicable penalties.
(h) A certified candidate accepting any benefits under the
provisions of this article shall continue to comply with all of its
provisions throughout the nonpartisan judicial election campaign
(i) A participating or certified candidate or his or her
financial agent shall provide the Secretary of State with all
requested campaign records, including all records of exploratory
and qualifying contributions received and campaign expenditures and obligations, and shall fully cooperate with any audit of campaign
finances requested or authorized by the State Election Commission.
WVC 3 - 12 - 13 §3-12-13. Reporting requirements.
(a) Participating candidates and certified candidates shall
comply with this section in addition to any other reporting
(b) During the exploratory and qualifying periods, a
participating candidate or his or her financial agent shall submit,
on the first of each month, a report of all exploratory and
qualifying contributions along with their receipts and an
accounting of all expenditures and obligations received during the
immediately preceding month. The reports shall be on forms or in
a format prescribed by the Secretary of State. Such reports shall
be filed electronically: Provided, That a committee may apply for
an exemption, in case of hardship, pursuant to subsection (c) of
section five-b, article eight of this chapter.
(c) No later than two business days after the close of the
qualifying period, a participating candidate or his or her
financial agent shall report to the Secretary of State on
appropriate forms a summary of:
(1) All exploratory contributions received and funds expended
or obligated during the exploratory period together with copies of
any receipts not previously submitted for exploratory
contributions; and
(2) All qualifying contributions received and funds expended
or obligated during the qualifying period together with copies of
any receipts not previously submitted for qualifying contributions.
(d) A certified candidate or his or her financial agent shall
file periodic financial statements in accordance with section five,
article eight of this chapter, detailing all funds received,
expended or obligated during the specified periods. The reports
shall be on forms approved by the Secretary of State.
WVC 3 - 12 - 14 §3-12-14. Duties of the State Election Commission; Secretary of
(a) In addition to its other duties, the State Election
Commission shall carry out the duties of this article and complete
the following as applicable:
(1) Prescribe forms for reports, statements, notices and other
documents required by this article;
(2) Make an annual report to the Legislature accounting for
moneys in the fund, describing the State Election Commission's
activities and listing any recommendations for changes of law,
administration or funding amounts;
(3) Propose emergency and legislative rules for legislative
approval, in accordance with article three, chapter twenty-nine-a
of this code, as may be necessary for the proper administration of
(4) Enforce this article to ensure that moneys from the fund
are placed in candidate campaign accounts and spent as specified in
(5) Monitor reports filed pursuant to this article and the
financial records of candidates to ensure that qualified candidates
receive funds promptly and to ensure that moneys required by this
article to be paid to the fund are deposited in the fund;
(6) Cause an audit of the fund to be conducted by independent
certified public accountants ninety days after a nonpartisan
judicial election. The State Election Commission shall cooperate with the audit, provide all necessary documentation and financial
records to those persons conducting the audit and shall maintain a
record of all information supplied by the audit;
(7) In consultation with the State Treasurer and the State
Auditor, develop a rapid, reliable method of conveying funds to
certified candidates. In all cases, the commission shall
distribute funds to certified candidates in a manner that is
expeditious, ensures accountability and safeguards the integrity of
the fund;
(8) Regularly monitor the receipts, disbursements, obligations
and balance in the fund to determine whether the fund will have
sufficient moneys to meet its obligations and sufficient moneys
available for disbursement during the nonpartisan judicial election
campaign period; and
(9) Transfer a portion of moneys maintained in the fund to the
West Virginia Investment Management Board for their supervised
investment, after consultation with the State Treasurer, the State
Auditor and the West Virginia Investment Management Board.
(b) In addition to his or her other duties, the Secretary of
State shall carry out the duties of this article and complete the
following as applicable:
(2) Prepare and publish information about this article and
provide it to potential candidates and citizens of this state;
(3) Prepare and publish instructions setting forth methods of
bookkeeping and preservation of records to facilitate compliance
with this article and to explain the duties of candidates and
others participating in elections under this article;
(4) Propose emergency and legislative rules for legislative
approval in accordance with article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of
this code as may be necessary for the proper administration of this
(5) Enforce this article to ensure that moneys from the fund
(6) Monitor reports filed pursuant to this article and the
(7) Ensure public access to the campaign finance reports
required pursuant to this article, and whenever possible, use
electronic means for the reporting, storing and display of the
(8) Prepare a voters' guide for the general public listing the
names of each candidate seeking election to the Supreme Court of
Appeals. Both certified and nonparticipating candidates shall be
invited by the State Election Commission to submit a statement, not
to exceed five hundred words in length, for inclusion in the guide. The guide shall identify the candidates that are certified candidates and the candidates that are nonparticipating candidates. Copies of the guide shall be posted on the website of the Secretary
of State, as soon as may be practical.
(c) To fulfill their responsibilities under this article, the
State Election Commission and the Secretary of State may subpoena
witnesses, compel their attendance and testimony, administer oaths
and affirmations, take evidence and require, by subpoena, the
production of any books, papers, records or other items material to
the performance of their duties or the exercise of their powers.
(d) The State Election Commission may also propose and adopt
procedural rules to carry out the purposes and provisions of this
article and to govern procedures of the State Election Commission
as it relates to the requirements of this article.
WVC 3 - 12 - 15 §3-12-15. Criminal penalties.
(a) A participating or certified candidate who, either
personally or through his or her committee, knowingly accepts
contributions or benefits in excess of those allowed under this
article, spends or obligates funds in excess of the public campaign
financing funding to which he or she is entitled or uses the
benefits or funding for a purpose other than those permitted under
this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction
thereof, shall be fined not less than $50 nor more than $500, or
confined in jail for up to thirty days or both.
(b) A participating or certified candidate who, either
personally or through his or her committee or financial agent,
provides false information to, or conceals or withholds information
from, the State Election Commission or the Secretary of State is
fined not less than $1,000 nor more than $10,000, or confined in
jail for up to one year or both.
WVC 3 - 12 - 16 §3-12-16. Civil penalties.
(a) If a participating or certified candidate or his or her
committee or financial agent unintentionally accepts contributions
from a private source in violation of this article or spends or
obligates to spend more than the amount of public financing money
he or she is eligible to receive from the fund pursuant to section
eleven of this article, the State Election Commission may order the
candidate to pay to the State Election Commission an amount equal
to the amount of the contribution, expenditure or obligation.
(b) If a participating or certified candidate or his or her
committee or financial agent intentionally accepts contributions
obligates more than the amount of public campaign financing he or
she is eligible to receive from the fund, the State Election
Commission shall order the candidate to pay to the State Election
Commission an amount equal to ten times the amount of the
contribution, expenditure or obligation. The candidate shall pay
the civil penalty authorized under this subsection within seven
days of receipt of written notice from the State Election
Commission of the imposition of the penalty.
(c) If a participating or certified candidate fails to pay any
moneys required to be paid to the State Election Commission or
returned to the fund under this article, the State Election
Commission may order the candidate to pay an amount equal to three
times the amount that should have been paid to the State Election Commission or returned to the fund.
(d) In addition to any other penalties imposed by law, the
State Election Commission may impose a civil penalty for a
violation by or on behalf of any candidate of any reporting
requirement imposed by this article in the amount of $100 a day.
(e) All penalties collected by the State Election Commission
pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the fund. The
candidate and the candidate's campaign account are jointly and
severally responsible for the payment of any penalty imposed
WVC 3 - 12 - 17 §3-12-17.
Acts, 2013 Reg. Sess., Ch. 70.