MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Does Vermont need stronger campaign finance laws?
Any political candidate who raises more than $500 is required to disclose their donors and where they spend the money raised. It’s required by the law, but not all candidates file on time, or at all, and there are no penalties when financial information isn’t filed by the required deadlines.
This year, the secretary of state’s office published lists showing who has and hasn’t filed their fundraising and spending on time. They say more are following the rules, but that many are still not complying with the law.
“Vermonters are frustrated by that. We are routinely contacted by ordinary citizens or by candidates who see an opponent spending money and yet they haven’t filed,” Vermont Secretary of Sate Sarah Copeland Hanzas said. She says the bare minimum should involve having candidates attest whether they have or have not achieved the $500 fundraising threshold.