Notice of Extension of Campaign Finance Reporting Deadline

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Download the Press Release PDF

Date: February 10, 2020
Contact: Chad Houck, Chief Deputy Secretary of State
Phone: (208) 332-2862

Boise, Idaho – At the request of Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, and in consultation with the office of the Governor, the Idaho Secretary of State’s office is extending the February 10, 2020 filing deadline for PACs and Candidates under the Idaho Sunshine Laws to February 17, 2020.

“Given that this is the first report to come due under the new revisions of the Sunshine Law, there were various unanticipated issues that made achieving the deadline by midnight tonight unlikely for candidates and PACs. In the interest of customer service, and to give our office an opportunity to address these issues, we felt extending the deadline was the only reasonable move,” says Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney.

As a result, the fines stipulated by the new Sunshine laws will also be pushed back and not be assessed at this time. “We need to make sure that all the wrinkles are smoothed out before we try to hold someone responsible for not getting a report filed.”

Another contributing factor to the delayed deadline is the fact that for many in local and special district offices, this report represents their first time ever filing with the Secretary of State’s office. Many were not aware of the steps required to gain access to the state’s campaign finance filing system.

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ABOUT LAWERENCE DENNEY

Lawerence Denney has served the people of Idaho since 1990. His public service began as a representative in District 13 and, following redistricting, he became a representative in District 9 until 2014. During that time, Denney served two terms as Majority Leader and three terms as Speaker of the House before successfully running for state office. He is currently in the first year of his second term as Idaho’s Secretary of State.

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System Upgrade In Progress

Campaign Finance, Lobbyist Reporting, and Online Voter Tools are expected to be offline from April 9th at 5:00 p.m. MDT, through April 12th at 8:00 a.m. MDT to complete a system upgrade.

Per Idaho Code 67-6607, campaign finance is reported monthly during a campaign’s election year. The deadline for the March report falls on Saturday, April 10th. Due to the interruption caused by this upgrade, political treasurers will be allowed to file the March report until 11:59 p.m. MDT on Monday, April 12th.

While we do our best to ensure compliance with all deadlines in statute, the timing of this release is critical to ensure minimal (or no) impact to the May election cycle. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.