A campaign finance violation report has been filed against the group Silent Majority Speaks, which spent nearly $40,000 spreading campaign material in Broomfield this election.
The campaign materials distributed in Broomfield included door hangers, mailers and digital advertisements that included opposition of the incumbent candidates for Broomfield’s City Council and mayoral races as well as misleading information. According to the city’s election results, the candidates opposed by the materials won their respective races.
According to its campaign finance documents, the group has listed spending $39,485 on distribution of the materials.
“Somebody who doesn’t want to be known is spending a lot of money in a municipal race in Broomfield — and why?” said Neil Allaire, the former chair of the Broomfield County Democrats and the individual who filed the complaints.
Allaire’s complaint alleges that Silent Majority Speaks violated Broomfield’s campaign finance reporting requirements, including failure to disclose required receipts and obligations in accordance with laws for independent expenditure committees and the filing of incomplete and inaccurate reports.
An independent expenditure committee is one or more people that spend or collect more than $1,000 for the purpose of supporting or opposing one or more candidates but does not work in coordination with any candidate or their campaign, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office website.
Silent Majority Speaks’ documented contributions only include one $11,625 donation from Iron Compass Strategies LLC, a business registered with a Sheridan, Wyoming, address and with an “initial filing” date in July of this year, according to the Wyoming secretary of state website’s business search. Allaire alleges in his report that the additional $27,860 in expenditures without documented contributions violate state law.
Colorado’s campaign finance laws require that committees like Silent Majority Speaks report “their contributions received, including the name and address of each person who has contributed $20 or more,” according to Colorado’s revised statutes’ chapter regarding election campaign regulations.
Additionally, Allaire’s report alleges the group incorrectly filed multiple reports by not including the $27,860 deficit.
“What does a Wyoming (business) care about Broomfield, Colorado? Is there money from Broomfield going to Iron Compass to pay for this? It really is a little shady,” Allaire said.
The candidates supported by Silent Majority Speaks’ material have previously denied knowing more about the group and have condemned its messaging. Additionally, Silent Majority Speaks’ registered agent, listed as Stacey Casteel, has not responded to requests for comment via email addresses and phone numbers publicly available.
According to Broomfield’s campaign finance regulations, the city and county clerk will determine any civil penalties, including fines, if a violation is found. The report is under review as of Thursday afternoon, according to Julie Story, a Broomfield spokesperson.
