VPAP

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

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.)

$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

Mid-Atlantic Laborers' Political Education Fund

$25,000 - Laborers Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizing Coalition

Middle Resolution PAC

$25,000 - Robert W. Bailie
$15,500 - Frank B. Bradley

Virginia American Insurance Association

$10,000 - American Insurance Association

Virginia Auto and Truck Dealers PAC

$50,000 - Virginia Auto Dealers Association

Virginia Beverage Association

$21,000 - Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Central Virginia
$18,000 - Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated

Women Speak Out - Virginia

$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.

$10K Donations to PACs

Virginia's campaign finance laws require non-candidate political committees to report any single donation of $10,000 or more within three business days of receipt. Here are PACs that have reported large donations since May 6:

Commonwealth Victory Fund (Democratic Party)

$15,000 - Williams Mullen

Democratic Party of Virginia

$25,000 - Democracy for America

House Republican Campaign Committee

$10,000 - Va. Bankers Association

Opportunity Virginia (Gov. Bob McDonnell)

$25,000 - Hilton Worldwide
$25,000 - G. Gilmer Minor III
$10,000 - National Material LP

Virginia First (Del. David Toscano)

$10,000 - Christopher Mark Little

INTRA-PARTY DONATIONS

Democratic Party of Virginia

$10,000 - Commonwealth Victory Fund (Democratic Party)

House Democratic Caucus

$30,000 - Commonwealth Victory Fund (Democratic Party)

Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus

$30,000 - Commonwealth Victory Fund (Democratic Party)

Virginia Senate Republican Caucus

$10,000 - Stuart for Senate- Richard
$10,000 - Wagner for Senate-Frank

VIEW DETAILS

Newly Registered PAC

The nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project added one new state PAC that recently registered with the Virginia State Board of Elections:

Fauquier Citizens for Balanced Growth -- A committee set up to support candidates for the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors who will work to develop the community infrastructure and services in the county to promote economic development. It is an offshoot of the Balanced Growth Alliance.

New House Candidates

VPAP has updated its list of candidates running for House seats.

Katie Webb Cyphert (Democrat) is challenging Republican incumbent Kathy Byron in House District 22, which encompasses part of Lynchburg and portions of Bedford, Campbell, and Franklin counties. Byron has held this seat since 1998.
Atif Qarni (Democrat) is challenging Republican incumbent Bob Marshall in House District 13, which encompasses Manassas Park and part of Prince William County. Marshall has served in the House since 1992.

SEE ALL GENERAL ELECTION CONTESTS

SEE ALL NOMINATION CONTESTS