Campaign finance documents show a handful of competitive primaries for Congress this summer. But, there's not a lot of transparency about how the money is used.
Campaign finance law in Virginia requires all kinds of disclosure about where campaign cash comes from. But where it goes is another story. Legal expert Rich Kelsey says nobody’s required to fact check the documents to see if campaigns accurately account for how they spend the money.
"Your reporting is really a box-checking exercise and ultimately there's not much effort to look behind the receipts and invoices to see who’s being paid for what services," explains Kelsey. "The assumption is that campaigns are acting ethically, legally and efficiently."
A campaign might, for example, hire a consultant that sends direct mail for a campaign. But because disclosure of amounts that go to vendors is not required, the documents really tell you how much the mailer costs versus the profit margin of the consultant. David Ramadan at George Mason University's Schar School says the disclosure forms hint at how it works even if they don't give you details.
"Consultants make between 10-15% on all media spending," he says. "Plus, some consultants charge a monthly fee, and if you look at people's finance reports, you can tell there's a standard amount that is paid every month, and then there are off amounts that are paid at different times."
Candidates for Congress have already done all the quarterly reporting that's required in advance of the Virginia primary on June 18th.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
