With today being the deadline for pre-election campaign finance reports, it will be interesting to see if and when the state gets a report from “South Dakotan’s (sic) for Amendment E.”
As I’ve pointed out before, state law requires any “ballot question committee” to file campaign finance reports. That term is defined as “any two or more people who cooperate for the purpose of raising, collecting, or disbursing money for the adoption or defeat of any question submitted to the voters at any election.”
The Amendment E website has solicited contributions. It necessarily spent money to register, host, set up and operate the web site. Its domain name is not registered in the name of South Dakota Judicial Accountability Campaign, the only registered ballot committee and the only one which has filed a report so far this year (but for which one for today’s deadline does not appear on the campaign finance website). It plainly advocates adoption of the measure. Moreover, it has become clear the site is an active part of the Amendment E campaign.
In a recent appearance on “Inside KELOLAND,” Jake Hanes was asked to summarize why J.A.I.L. should be adopted. He directed people to the “South Dakotan’s (sic) for Amendment E” website. Then, in a debate in Mitchell Tuesday night, Hanes echoed the language of the website:
Hanes concluded the debate by asking voters to not listen to media reports, which he said are distorting facts about Amendment E. He called it “shriek reporting,” and urged voters to go the group’s Web site.
The phrase shriek reporting comes directly from the South Dakotan’s (sic) for Amendment E site.
Likewise, when a lawsuit against the No on E Committee was filed yesterday, the California “publicist” for South Dakotan’s (sic) for Amendment E posted a comment on PP’s blog that “www.AmendmentE.com filed suit.”
I imagine, though, that it’s too much to ask people demanding accountability to comply with state laws and file campaign finance reports.
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth.
“Gimme Some Truth,” John Lennon, Imagine
