It is rare for political candidates at the local or state level to miss reporting deadlines required by the Alabama Secretary of State's office. Even more rarely, penalties for missing these deadlines cost the responsible camp thousands of dollars.

The mandatory fee for missing a reporting deadline beyond the generous 48-hour grace period for a first violation is proportional to two factors. One is the number of failures to declare, and the other is the total amount of funds raised and spent by the campaign during the period. Period not reported.

One Dale County elected official recently discovered how the total of $3,223 is calculated.

According to the Secretary of State's FCPA database, Dale County Commission Chairman Steve McKinnon paid what he recognized as three months' worth of fines as a result of missed deadlines between May and July of last year.

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McKinnon said his accountant was locked out of the account because it was years past the campaign report deadline.

When McKinnon learned of the fine, she said her goal was to pay it in full and “keep going.” He also reported that he is not facing any further punitive action.

“We received a notice of a penalty on our return and were told that it was unintentional and that we could appeal and have some of the penalty waived,” said accountant and daughter Courtney McKinney. said.

Mr. McKinnon decided to just pay the fine and not appeal. “Since all of this has happened, there have been no more late filings and everything will continue to be filed on time.”

During three monthly reports, which Mr. McKinnon finally filed in August, the campaign reported donations and expenses totaling more than $20,000.

But for candidates like McKinnon, things could have gotten even worse after missing the third filing deadline.

Alabama's 2023 Candidate Filing Guide states that “failure to properly file the required FCPA report for the fourth time creates a rebuttable presumption that the candidate intentionally violates the reporting requirements.” It is said that read. “The Secretary of State or probate judge shall notify the Attorney General and the appropriate district attorney of any person who violates the filing requirements four or more times during an election cycle.”

Grayson Everett is the state and politics editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270