SEC News:

ALBUQUERQUE — The State Ethics Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against the Working Families Organization, Inc.’ (“WFO”) Nov. 2 to enforce the disclosure provisions of the Campaign Reporting Act.

As alleged in the complaint, WFO spent thousands of dollars on text message advertising campaigns seeking to influence the outcome of a New Mexico ballot question regarding the State’s Permanent School Fund.

The text message advertisements lacked required disclosures as to the identity of the persons who paid for and authorized the advertisements, and WFO refused to comply with the Campaign Reporting Act’s registration and disclosure obligations for advertising expenditures.

In 2019, the Legislature amended the Campaign Reporting Act to shine light on “dark money” in New Mexico’s elections, requiring groups that pay for advertisements or advocacy in support of candidates to be minimally transparent about who funded those efforts.

The Campaign Reporting Act allows New Mexicans to know who funds efforts to influence their votes and groups, like WFO, must tell them.

Click here to read the complaint.

For more information about the State Ethics Commission, visit www.sec.state.nm.us.