Secretary of State candidates say group should disclose donors

The two top potential replacements for Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner say they agree that LetOhioVote.org should disclose its donors.

"As campaigns spend millions of dollars trying to convince Ohioans to vote one way or another, voters deserve to know who is footing the bill,” said Maryellen O’Shaughnessy of Columbus, the Democratic nominee for secretary of state. “In light of LetOhioVote.org's refusal to disclose its donors and after the ruling in Citizens United, transparency in campaign spending is now more important than ever. LetOhioVote.org owes it to Ohioans to disclose its donors, and I call on them to do so immediately."

Brunner has ordered LetOhioVote.org to reveal the source of the $1.55 million the group used to try to get a referendum on the November ballot overturning efforts by Gov. Ted Strickland and legislators to place slot machines at Ohio’s seven racetracks. The group, which reported that all of its money came from a nonprofit group in Virginia called New Models, is fighting the subpoenas at the Ohio Supreme Court.

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O’Shaughnessy said that as clerk of courts for Franklin County, she has made it a priority to boost transparency in that office by ensuring that court documents are quickly available online for public viewing.

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