A non-partisan watch dog group filed a complaint to the Government Accountability Board Wednesday against 29 donors who exceeded the $10,000 limit on campaign contributions in 2010.
The GAB resolved all 29 cases Wednesday and issued fines for cases where they found violations.
Of the 29 campaign donors, 24 gave the majority of their money to Gov. Scott Walker while five donated primarily to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett during the 2010 gubernatorial election.
But Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Executive Director Mike McCabe said they saw “excessive” amounts of money flowing in both directions.
Current state law prohibits individuals from contributing more than $10,000 a year to campaigns. Donors may also only spend $10,000 on governor campaigns, $2,000 for state Senate campaigns and $500 for state Assembly races.
McCabe said in many cases, donors are ignorant the spending limits exist.
But “ignorance isn’t a defense,” he added. “It’s an excuse.”
McCabe said because the state has been “lax” in enforcing the law, some donors think they can “take the law with a grain of salt.”
“We need to have better enforcement of these laws if we’re going to have campaign contribution limits that are meaningful and respected,” McCabe said.
But during recall petition drives against Walker that began Tuesday, all donation limits to support public officials who are being targeted are dropped.
Walker will be able to receive unlimited donations from the beginning of the petition drive for signatures until the election is authorized. When the possible recall election date is decided, limits go back into place.
McCabe said a public official, such as Walker, has a big advantage when being targeted for a recall. While Walker can accept unlimited donations, challengers during a recall drive still must follow campaign contribution limits.
