A legal interpretation of Kansas campaign spending law has disrupted Democratic pre-primary activities in Johnson County, causing the local party to cancel a candidate forum and spend thousands reprinting promotional cards and flyers.

Confusion Over Ethics Guidance

Democratic leaders in Johnson County and elsewhere say guidelines from the state’s campaign finance overseer were a departure from past years and caused last-minute rethinking of events and literature featuring the state’s highest-profile races.

The Kansas Public Disclosure Commission advised local political parties in June that excluding candidates from forums or voter guides violates rules against financial support for candidates running for federal offices like U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

The commission’s chief lawyer, Candice Wilson, contends that the rules are unchanged from past years, but local party officials disagree, saying the interpretation has changed and caused confusion and financial losses.

Impact on Local Parties

The Johnson County Democrats had already printed 70,000 lists that had to be put on hold and eventually reprinted at an additional cost of $15,000. The party also canceled a June forum and revised its online voter guide to exclude federal candidates.

Other local parties were also affected, with some canceling events or taking steps to comply with the new interpretation. The Pottawatomie party chair, Steven DeHart, said he had to take care to ensure that a recent ice cream social did not violate the rules.

Original reporting: Johnson County Post (Overland Park) — read the source article.