Candidate fined $100 for campaign ad violations

The Virginia State Board of Elections has fined Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors candidate Audrey Regnery a $100 civil penalty for not adhering to the state’s Stand by Your Ad law.

“They gave me a $50 fine for each,” Regnery said on Wednesday, referring to two complaints filed with the Virginia Department of Elections in Richmond by her Hampton district opponent, Keir Whitson.

The fines, which were handed down Tuesday by the three-person board, were considerably lower than the $2,000 ($1,000 per charge) in penalties the board could have imposed.

“Audrey Regnery was assessed a $100 civil penalty for failure to place a disclosure statement on two items of print media. One was a letter, and the other was a sign. Each penalty was $50, for a total of $100,” Andrea Gaines, Director of Community Relations and Compliance Support for the Virginia Department of Elections, told the Rappahannock News.

Whitson on two occasions in August complained to state officials that his opponent, or else others working on her behalf, 1) sent a five-page letter, via a computerized mass-mailing system, to registered voters within the Hampton voting district that “lacks entirely the ‘paid for’ disclosure” required under applicable Virginia code; and, 2) “began placing yard signs on properties . . . [that] lack entirely the ‘paid for’ disclosure . . . ”

Virginia code states that it is “unlawful for any person or political committee to sponsor a print media advertisement” or similar campaign materials unless they bear the legend or include the statement, “Paid for by _______ (Name of person or political committee).”

“I didn’t realize I needed it. I’m not a politician,” Regnery told this newspaper, calling it an innocent overlook.

Whitson countered, in part: “Understanding and following applicable laws and regulations is a basic qualification for serving on the Board of Supervisors or in any elected position.”