Campaign finance bill closes loophole on anonymous political spending

A campaign finance law passed during the legislative session closes a loophole that could have allowed PACs to skirt donor disclosure requirements, state elections officials say.

Meanwhile, West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner’s office is continuing its lawsuit against a group that continues to withhold the source of its funding for tens of thousands of dollars spent on electioneering efforts during 2018 legislative races.

Most the debate around Senate Bill 622 centered on its increase to fundraising caps on different kinds of political donations. However, officials with the Secretary of State's Office say a simple change to the definition of a PAC (Political Action Committee) will block off an end-run around donor disclosure.

Current law defines a PAC as a committee formed “for the purpose of supporting or opposing” political candidates. Chuck Flannery, Warner’s chief of staff, said this wording could be interpreted to mean that electioneering must be an organization's sole purpose to be a PAC, not one of several purposes.

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