WEAC Wins Lawsuit Over Campaign Donations

The state Elections Board was wrong when it allowed three legislators to donate money from their campaigns to county Republican Party sub-units, a Dane County judge has ruled.

The WEAC Political Action Committee had gone to court in 1996 to challenge an Elections Board decision allowing then-Assembly Speaker Ben Brancel, Rep. Scott Jensen and Rep. Sheryl Albers to funnel money to the state Republican Party through local sub-units of the party. The three sent approximately $46,000 to county Republican organizations, which then funneled the funds to the state party. They said the county parties were separate political parties.

State law allows a committee to donate no more than $6,000 a year to a political party.

Dane County Judge Daniel Moeser now has ruled that county Republican Party organizations are the same as the state party, and the donations were illegal.

“WEAC sued because the Republican actions created an unlevel playing field,” WEAC Legal Director Bruce Meredith said. “All parties should play by the same rules. This case is one more example of the need for campaign finance reform.”

Posted April 5, 1999