Two election law violation complaints have been filed by a voter in Yamhill County regarding attempts to conceal a donation by Oregon Taproot PAC (formerly Save Yamhill County PAC) to "Bubba" King for Oregon PAC. King is currently running to unseat Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer who serves as the Chair of the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners.

The complaints allege that Oregon Taproot PAC and its director Lynnette Shaw, as well as Bubba for Oregon PAC, intentionally tried to conceal a political donation from Oregon Taproot PAC to Bubba King by unlawfully filing the transaction as a personal cash contribution from Lynnette Shaw. Shaw was able to make such a large personal contribution after filing for “reimbursement” from the PAC she controls. As it turns out, Shaw had no reimbursements due to her, and taking money out of a PAC for personal use (in this case campaign contributions) is against Oregon law. The complaint alleges that Bubba for Oregon PAC then recorded a personal “cash contribution” from Shaw instead of recording it as coming from Oregon Taproot PAC (formerly Save Yamhill County PAC).

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The complaints also allege that Shaw failed to report all of the money. The transaction in Oregon Taproot PAC shows that Shaw gave Bubba for Oregon a total of $3,468.00. However, in the Bubba for Oregon PAC, it only shows a cash contribution of $3,018.00. The complaint alleges that the missing $450 has not been reported or recorded anywhere in either PAC.

Oregon Statute 260.402, which covers campaign finance transactions, states that: “It is a criminal offense to make a contribution or donation or to directly or indirectly reimburse a person for making a contribution or donation relating to a candidate, measure, political committee, or petition committee in any name other than the person that provides the contribution (i.e., a contribution in a false name). Likewise, it is illegal to knowingly receive a contribution or donation in a false name or enter it into a committee’s account. Making a contribution or donation in a false name is a class C felony, punishable by up to five years imprisonment and/or a $125,000 fine.”

Save Yamhill County is a familiar name in Yamhill County’s political arena. In 2021, the group attempted to recall sitting Commissioner Chair Lindsay Berschauer and failed to qualify the necessary number of signatures needed, despite hiring a professional signature gathering firm to collect them. The group, many of whom are also members of Progressive Yamhill, tried again and gained the necessary number of signatures. The special election occurred on March 22, 2022, and Commissioner Berschauer defeated the recall attempt by earning more votes than she previously did in her original run for office in 2020.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2024-04-04 13:57:25

Last Update: 2024-04-04 14:38:11