Lindsay Berschauer, Vice-Chair of the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners, filed two separate complaints with the Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division today detailing over 50 campaign finance violations associated with the ‘Save Yamhill County’ and ‘Recall Lindsay Berschauer’ political action committees. Among the violations were a failure to declare ‘Save Yamhill County’ as the main political action committee conducting the recall effort against Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer, over 50 documented failures to lawfully report campaign contributions and expenditures in both PACs, and a failure to report expenditures associated with the campaign’s media outreach.

The complaints were filed by Eric Winters, a seasoned election law attorney, who represents Mrs. Berschauer. The complaints detailed long lists of violations with fines as high as $250 for a single violation.

“It’s disturbing to discover that Save Yamhill County has not followed Oregon campaign finance laws since they initiated the recall effort”, said Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer. “Attempting to hide campaign activity violates public trust and should alarm their contributors, whose donations will now be paying off fines. The public deserves to know the truth about this group’s unlawful actions and its attempt to overturn an election.”

The purpose of Oregon's campaign finance disclosure laws is to provide the public with accurate and timely information about election-related activities. When properly followed, these rules of disclosure also help inform voters of the activities undertaken on behalf of candidates, political committees and petition committees by those who provide financial or related in-kind support to them. Timely and accurate disclosure of campaign finance activities operates to safeguard public trust and discourage corruption. The campaign finance disclosure rules help voters keep track of what is happening, when it occurs and who is supporting specific campaigns -- in short, they help tell the stories of Oregon's political campaigns through the mandatory reporting of the related activities of political actors.

The continuing series of unreported and misreported campaign finance disclosure violations by Save Yamhill County and Recall Lindsay Berschauer may make county voters wonder how truthful this effort will be over the next couple months. What is clear is that the funding sources and activities of the recall campaign and associated PACs have been largely and illegally concealed from the public and merit a thorough investigation by Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and the Elections Division.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-08-27 15:10:56

Last Update: 2021-08-27 15:13:43