shareUpdates from vpap.org
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
$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
- $25,000 - Democracy for America
- $10,000 - Va. Bankers Association
- $25,000 - Hilton Worldwide
- $25,000 - G. Gilmer Minor III
- $10,000 - National Material LP
- $10,000 - Christopher Mark Little
INTRA-PARTY DONATIONS
Democratic Party of Virginia- $10,000 - Commonwealth Victory Fund (Democratic Party)
- $30,000 - Commonwealth Victory Fund (Democratic Party)
- $30,000 - Commonwealth Victory Fund (Democratic Party)
- $10,000 - Stuart for Senate- Richard
- $10,000 - Wagner for Senate-Frank
VIEW DETAILS
05/14/2013
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.
05/14/2013
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.
05/14/2013
UPDATED: Candidates in Local Elections
The nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project has updated its list of candidates running for local offices.
Stafford County Board of Supervisors
Robert Belman, an independent candidate, is running for the Falmouth seat on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors. The seat is currently held by incumbent Supervisor Susan Stimpson, who is also seeking the GOP nomination for Lt. Governor. If Stimpson is selected by the party to run for statewide office, she will not seek reelection to the Board of Supervisors.
05/13/2013
New House Candidate
VPAP has updated its list of candidates running for House seats.
- James Harder (Democrat) is challenging Republican incumbent Joseph Yost in House District 12, which encompasses Giles County, the city of Radford, and parts of Montgomery and Pulaski counties. Yost has held the seat since 2011.
05/13/2013
