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Campaign finance reports deadline today
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Posted on Dec 26 2005
Candidates and political parties will face sanctions if they fail to submit their campaign finance reports to the Office of the Public Auditor by today, Dec. 27, 2005.
A $100 fine may be assessed against a candidate for each calendar day that his or her report is late. Any candidate who refuses to file a campaign financial report may be fined up to $50,000 or imprisoned for up to one year, or both.
Sanctions will not apply to parties or candidates who have requested and been granted an extension by the Commonwealth Election Commission.
Those required to file statements of account for the recently concluded election season include three political parties, 13 independent candidates, and 23 non-partisan candidates.
The Republican Party accounts for 29 candidates; the Covenant Party, 27; and the Democratic Party, 13 candidates that ran for office in the Nov. 5, 2005 election.
As of Tuesday last week, fewer than 10 candidates have submitted campaign finance reports, according to public auditor Michael Sablan.
The statement of account must show details of any contribution worth at least $100 that a party or candidate received during the election period. Contributions include any monetary or in-kind support issued to a candidate to advance his political bid.
Election law prohibits anonymous contributions. Any candidate who receives an anonymous contribution is required to turn the contribution over to the Commonwealth Treasurer for deposit into the CNMI general fund.
A candidate may retain excess campaign funds in a designated bank account for use in future elections or campaigns. A candidate who uses these funds for having post-election meetings, rallies, or parties must file an amended campaign statement of account to report the expenses incurred.
All political contributions should be used for campaign and election purposes only. They should not be used for personal benefit.
