Rep. Glassburn Proposes Legislation to Authorize Campaign Contribution Refunds

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Chris Glassburn (D-North Olmsted) today announced that he will be introducing a bill that would allow campaign committees to refund a political contribution for any reason. The proposed legislation would modernize Ohio campaign laws to provide greater flexibility for candidates and transparency for voters. 

“Currently, campaign finance law stops candidates from refunding donations in most circumstances," said Rep. Glassburn.  “These restrictions are unnecessary. Further, when a candidate does take an action, such as donating money to charity, the public cannot see in direct public records what happened.   This further confuses interested members of the public. Voters should easily be able to see if a candidate has issued a refund or given the donation funds to charity. The existing policies make bad situations worse and do nothing to serve the public interest.”

The lack of a clear mechanism to refund money also incentivizes campaigns to hold on to surplus funds when a campaign is no longer viable. These funds could otherwise be returned to donors, particularly small-dollar donors, that would benefit from a refund.     

The issue of campaign finance law updates is ripe for legislative action. The Ohio Election Integrity Commission met earlier in the day to consider expanding allowable scenarios, but moved to table the advisory opinion for additional consideration and debate. The Commission's decision to table the matter underscores the complexity of these refund issues and highlights the need for legislative efforts to find a more comprehensive solution.

Rep. Glassburn is currently circulating bill language for co-sponsor support and is optimistic about the positive bipartisan reception from colleagues and stakeholders.