shareUpdates from vpap.org
Obenshain, Stewart Get Last Minute Push
As the first wave of more than 10,000 Republicans began to converge on Richmond, the Middle Resolution PAC reported making phone calls Friday backing Corey Stewart in a seven-way race for the GOP nomination for Lt. Governor.
Middle Resolution PAC -- which along with some Tea Party groups conducted a GOP candidate vetting process -- also reported making phone calls on behalf of Sen. Mark Obenshain, one of two Republicans running for the Attorney General nomination.
The phone calls were valued at $1,973, according to an "independent expenditure" disclosure filed Friday with the State Board of Elections. Independent expenditures involve purchasing goods or services to back -- or oppose a candidate -- without coordinating with any candidate.
VIEW ALL INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURE REPORTS
05/17/2013
Lobbyist Registrations
The nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project has posted 86 more lobbyist registrations received from the Secretary of the Commonwealth since May 7. The latest batch contained the following:
7 NEW LOBBYIST-CLIENT REGISTRATIONS
79 RENEWALS OF 2012-2013 REGISTRATIONS
VPAP will continue to provide updates as the SOC makes the information available.
05/16/2013
VPAP Speakers Bureau
Want to learn more about VPAP's tools for transparency?
Through the VPAP Speakers Bureau, we speak with groups and attend events throughout the state. Please let us know if your business or organization is interested in a presentation. To bring VPAP to your event, call 804-353-4300 or contact us today.
05/16/2013
Lobbyist Registrations
The nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project has posted 182 lobbyist registrations received from the Secretary of the Commonwealth since May 7. The latest batch contained the following:
22 NEW LOBBYIST-CLIENT REGISTRATIONS
160 RENEWALS OF 2012-2013 REGISTRATIONS
VPAP will continue to provide updates as the SOC makes the information available.
05/15/2013
Independent Expenditures
VPAP has posted disclosures filed by a group seeking to boost Republican Corey Stewart's chances of winning the Lt. Governor nomination this weekend at the state GOP convention in Richmond.
The Alexandria-based group -- calling itself Virginians for Limited Government -- reported paying for four mailings, totaling $23,702, earlier this month. Each of the mailings supported Stewart, the chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, and variously opposed five of the six other GOP Lt. Governor hopefuls -- Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, E.W. Jackson, Scott Lingamfelter, Steve Martin and Pete Snyder.
Virginians for Limited Government is not a registered PAC with the State Board of Elections. The group maintains a website that lists its board as: Demetrios Kouzoukas (Chairman) and John Grandson (President and Director)
05/15/2013
Criteria for "VPAP Honor Roll"
CRITERIA FOR VPAP HONOR ROLL
Starting with the campaign finance report due July 15, 2013, the VPAP Honor Roll will include all General Assembly candidates who e-file and who score 95 or more points based on the follow five criteria.
General
TIMELINESS (25 points)
Last three reports were filed by the deadline set by the State Board of Elections.
Note: This criteria does not apply in circumstances where SBE grants an extension
Contributions
DONORS’ OCCUPATION/EMPLOYER (30 points)
Information provided is specific enough for VPAP to determine the primary economic interest for at least 95% of the amount of non-lobbyist donations on Schedule A and B. (Percentage will be based on the accumulated transactions for an election cycle.)
Best Practices
- Occupation: If donor provides imprecise terms ("business owner" or "consultant”) make an effort -- particularly with larger donors -- to obtain more specific information. (“business owner” --> “coffee shop owner”; “consultant” --> “IT consultant”)
- Employer: If a donor lists her employer as "self-employed" make an effort to ascertain what line of business the donor is in, particularly for larger donors.
- Donor Reply Forms: Consider amending donor reply form to include three lines: occupation, employer and job title. The reason: Some donors use their job title (“partner”, “president”, “CEO”) to describe their occupation. Having someone list “President, Poole Associates” conveys little if company is small or obscure. Asking for job title could lead to more insightful information (“President, Poole Associates” --> “Insurance Broker, Poole Associates, President”)
DONATIONS VIA THIRD-PARTY VENDORS (10 points)
Donations made through third-party vendors (ie "Act Blue") must list name of donor, as required by law
Best Practices
- Third-party vendors will provide you a list of each donor’s name, occupation, donation amount and date – as well as the service fee applied to each donation. On Schedule A, enter the donor’s name and total amount donated; on Schedule D, enter name of third-party vendor and amount of service fee. (Note: Donors must be listed individually on Schedule A, but service fees for a given week or time period can be aggregated into a single entry on Schedule D)
Expenditures
DESCRIPTION OF GOODS/SERVICES (25 points)
Descriptions are specific enough that VPAP can determine the primary purpose of 95% of the total amount of Schedule D expenditures. (Percentage will be based on the accumulated transactions for an election cycle.)
Best Practices
- Avoid vague descriptions such as "voter contact" or "supplies" (“voter contact” --> “polling” and “supplies” --> “supplies for fundraiser”)
- For reimbursements, provide specific purpose of expense. (“reimbursement” --> “reimbursement for mileage” or “expenses” --> “cell phone and travel expenses”)
CREDIT/DEBIT CARD EXPENSES (10 points)
Purchases made with bank cards must be itemized, as required by law
Best Practices
- Treat debit/credit card purchases the same cash transactions. List the name and address of the vendor where the goods/services purchased. The date listed should be actual date of transaction. (This will mean entering transactions as they happen, instead of waiting for credit card or bank statement.)
05/15/2013
$10K Donations to PACs- UPDATE
Due to a data processing glitch, a number of large contributions reported by PACs since 3/31 were not included in earlier updates. VPAP has corrected the issue, which is explained below.
The omitted contributions are listed below:
Commonwealth Transportation PAC
- $15,000 - Nova Technology Council
Medical Society of Virginia
- $10,000 - Virginia Urology Center
- $25,000 - Laborers Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizing Coalition
- $25,000 - Robert W. Bailie
- $15,500 - Frank B. Bradley
- $10,000 - American Insurance Association
- $50,000 - Virginia Auto Dealers Association
- $21,000 - Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Central Virginia
- $18,000 - Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated
- $10,000 - Ellen Barrosse
- $10,000 - John D. Whitlock
Earlier today, VPAP discovered that some large transactions transmitted from the State Board of Elections incorrectly listed the "aggregate to date" amount as ZERO. Under SBE reporting requirements, each transaction record must contain two dollar amounts -- a) the amount of the current donation and b) the "aggregate" amount of all donations from the donor to the PAC in the current year. The transactions above all listed the aggregate as ZERO, which caused them to not be processed by VPAP's systems. VPAP has notified the SBE of the problem and has adjusted its processes to account for such unexpected results.
05/14/2013
