FEC concludes audit of state Democratic Party

The Federal Election Commission recently completed an audit of the Oklahoma Democratic Party's finances and found the party misstated some financial activity and did not keep required payroll logs for employees during the 2015-2016 election cycle.

The party, which has since corrected its finance reports and implemented a more thorough system to track employees' work hours, was not penalized for the errors.

The state party misstated spending and receipts for several different accounts, according to the final audit report released on July 23.

The party also f ail ed to disclose or incorrectly reported debts and obligations totaling $45,887, according to the report.

The FEC also cited the state party for failing to keep monthly payroll logs to keep track of the time employees spent working on federal elections from 2015-2016. Federal election activities require more specific reporting requirements.

Representatives for the state party did not dispute the FEC's findings and declined a hearing to respond to the findings presented in the audit.

The audit covered Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2016.

The incorrect filings have been fixed and the party now implements more comprehensive practices to keep track of employees' work hours, said Sarah Baker, the party's interim executive director.

“Our biggest thing is moving forward and making adjustments to stay in compliance,” she said.

Prior to the most recent audit, the party was audited in 2015 for activity during the 2011-2012 election cycle.