The Center for Public Integrity, a government watchdog group that monitors, among other things, transparency in campaign financing, has given South Carolina an “F” on its latest report card.
The states were asked the five questions below and given grades on their responses:
- Does the state require reporting of independent expenditures, political spending that urges voters to support or oppose a candidate but is not coordinated with the campaign?
- Does the state require reporting of the target, the identity of the candidate who is the subject of the independent spending?
- Does the state require reporting of position, whether the spending supports or opposes the target
- How does the state monitor "electioneering communications" -- advertising that airs close to an election that names a candidate but does not urge viewers to vote for or against the candidate?
South Carolina received the lowest possible score, a zero. Only five other states were as low—Alabama, Indiana, New Mexico, New York and North Dakota.
The report notes that most states have less stringent campaign finance reporting rules and they often receive less media coverage.
View the full report here.
In the Palmetto State, groups not linked to a candidate are not required to disclose how much was given to them or by whom. Nor are they required to disclose how much was spent.
The report re-tells the story of State Sen. Wes Hayes, a Republican from Rock Hill. Hayes had more than $100,000 spent against him by a group called Conservative GOP PAC.
The Center for Public Integrity was unsuccessful in contacting Conservative GOP PAC as no street address or phone number was publicly available.
The bi-partisan South Carolina Commission for Ethics Reform recommended measures that would combat some of the issues referenced in the Center for Public Integrity’s report, but none of them have been approved by the General Assembly.
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