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CPA Opposition Group in Danvers Runs Afoul of State Campaign Finance Law

Posted on: April 11, 2024 - 3:17pm

Campaign Materials from Danvers CPA Opposition CampaignThe Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) has just released a ruling concerning campaign activities conducted by a local party committee advocating against CPA adoption.

A ballot question proposing adoption of CPA was included on the spring 2023 ballot in the North Shore town of Danvers. In response, the Danvers Republican Town Committee (DRTC) organized an opposition campaign and urged residents to vote against the CPA proposal at the ballot. After the election, OCPF received a complaint regarding those campaign activities - and after conducting a review, OCPF found that the opposition campaign did not comply with several provisions of the state’s campaign finance laws. The DRTC was required to take corrective action regarding these violations, including the payment of a fee to the Commonwealth.

According to OCPF’s review, while the DRTC was allowed to raise and expend funding to influence a ballot question as a local party committee, they failed to follow several requirements under the state’s campaign finance laws, including:

  • DRTC accepted $250 from anonymous sources - campaign finance law requires committees to keep an account of the names and addresses of anyone who contributes more than $50. According to the OCPF letter, “anonymous contributions may not be accepted because the receipt of such contributions would make it impossible to keep the required information regarding contributors.” As a result, DRTC was required to make a payment of $250 to the Commonwealth “to purge the receipt of anonymous contributions.”
  • Both local party committees and ballot question committees are required to file pre-election and post-election campaign finance reports with OCPF. DRTC neglected to disclose its financial activity undertaken to oppose the CPA ballot question. As a result, the DRTC had to file “an amendment to its electronically filed 2023 year-end report to accurately reflect its activity to influence the May 2023 ballot question.” These reports were also provided to the Danvers Town Clerk, as “this activity should have been disclosed by filing municipal campaign finance reports.”

Advocates for CPA in Danvers also campaigned during the CPA election period, and their campaign followed all the proper registration and reporting rules. Ultimately, the Danvers CPA ballot question failed to pass with 1,323 Yes votes and 1,517 No votes. And while it’s impossible to know whether the illegal activities of the DRTC substantially influenced the result of the vote, OCPF’s ruling underscores how important it is for local committees to follow the proper procedure for any campaign activities. The rules apply not only for CPA adoption campaigns, but also for any local campaign activity advocating for changes to a community’s CPA surcharge or exemptions.

The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance is the agency that administers the state's campaign finance law (Chapter 55C). If you have any questions about state reporting requirements for local political campaigns, we encourage you to call OCPF's toll-free line at 800-462-6273, or visit their website at www.ocpf.us.