Shoshone County election officials validated one campaign finance complaint against a Democratic candidate for county commissioner while dismissing a second allegation involving a race for county assessor. The Idaho Secretary of State’s Office upheld the local findings.
The first complaint was filed on Sept. 28 by Pinehurst resident Thomas Gardner regarding Jay Huber, the Democratic challenger for District 2 County Commissioner. Gardner alleged that Huber failed to include a required financial disclaimer on a mailer promoting a fundraising event. Under Idaho Code 67-6614A, political communications must identify the person responsible for the material.
Shoshone County Elections Clerk Savanna Willer notified Huber of the violation. Huber agreed to include proper disclaimers on future mailings. Willer decided not to pursue further penalties because the candidate did not willfully violate the code and committed to adhering to the rules moving forward.
“The county clerk has verbally discussed with the candidate of said violations and has decided not to pursue further action as the candidate did not willfully violate code and has agreed to adhere in the future,” Willer said.
Huber is running against Republican Tami Atkins for the seat currently held by David Dose. Individuals who violate campaign finance disclosure laws face a maximum civil penalty of $250, while organizations can be fined up to $2,500.
A second complaint was filed on Sept. 29 by Casey Whalen regarding Katie Murray, the Democratic candidate for Shoshone County Assessor. Whalen alleged that Murray’s campaign signs and handouts lacked a proper disclaimer, specifically missing the phrase “paid for by.” Murray’s materials concluded with the text “Tyler Carrico, Treasurer (D).”
Willer found no violation in Murray’s case, determining that the language satisfied Idaho’s disclosure requirements. Becca Kozlowski, an elections compliance specialist with the Secretary of State’s office, upheld the decision.
“As long as ‘the person responsible for such communication’ is ‘clearly indicated,’ disclosure statements are not required to have the explicit words ‘paid for by’ on their distributions,” Kozlowski said. She noted that listing the candidate’s name and contact information along with the treasurer’s name meets legal standards if the responsible party is clearly identified.
Murray is running against Republican Robert Savage for the assessor seat currently held by Jerry White.