There are rules about how much a person can contribute to a candidate or a ballot issue. And there are loopholes that allow a person to avoid those restrictions.

 

Start with the definition of "person." Most of us would easily define a person as an individual, one who breathes. But state law defines person to include corporations, associations and other entities.

 

For the last century, Ohio did not allow corporations to contribute to candidates, but that prohibition was adjusted in 2004 to allow corporate money to be used indirectly to benefit candidates. That same bill raised the limit on contributions from $2,500 to $10,000.

 

In case that was not enough, each member of a family (including the children over age 7) may give $10,000, and they may give up to that limit for the Primary Election and again for the General Election.

 

While it is illegal to "launder" money by giving it to someone else who in turn contributes it in their own name to a candidate, it is not unheard of for companies to give selected employees "bonuses" with the understanding that they will contribute to the chosen candidate.

 

If all else fails, "independent expenditures" often come to the rescue with "educational" ads. So long as the organization sponsoring the ads does not coordinate with the campaign and does not identify the candidate by name, it can spend millions of dollars on ads that are clearly aimed at electing or defeating a candidate.

 

The most glaring example in recent history was the anti-Resnick ad campaign in the 2000 election for state Supreme Court. However, that smear campaign later resulted in the Ohio Chamber of Commerce’s getting smacked down by the Ohio Elections Commission.

 

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