DOTC: No Harm, Not Much Of A Foul

Dan of the County (re: Repub Cliff Hayes missing the filing deadline for campaign finance reports): And while either a County Clerk or Secretary of State can assess a fine ($50 a day if I remember right) for late filings, it’s rarely done. The main thing is to just get the information out in a timely manner. It’s when someone completely ignores the rules or timelines that there becomes a real problem. And again, I’ve rarely seen that at the county level. While we offer training classes as well as a written manual on how and when to fill out sunshine reports it can still be a bit daunting for new candidates and treasurers that aren’t used to dealing with election laws…a bit like tax forms.

Question: Do you think the public cares much whether campaign finance reports are turned in on time? Or filled out correctly? And/Or: Will Kathy Sims long, drawn-out battle w/the city of Coeur d’Alene over campaign finance errors be a factor in her state House campaign?