APPENDIX F: Receipt dates of last period reports 1998 and 2000
In the 1998 and 2000 elections for Alachua County charter offices, there were a total of thirty-two financial reports due immediately prior to an election by twenty-three candidates. Another eight candidates were not required to file a financial report immediately prior to an election because they either withdrew from the race or ran unopposed.
Florida law requires these reports to be received by the Supervisor of Elections no later than 5:00pm on the fourth day prior to the election or to be postmarked no later than midnight on the fourth day prior to the election. Alachua County elections are held on Tuesdays and therefore this due date falls on the Friday prior to each election (primary, runoff, and general).
In assessing the potential for public disclosure of these finances prior to the election, the number of business hours in which this information is available to the public from the Supervisor of Elections is an important factor. The number of business hours of the Supervisor of Elections Office between the required deadline and the election will vary depending upon whether or not the Monday prior to the election is a federal holiday. When a federal holiday falls on this Monday, there are no business hours between the required deadline and the election.
Of these thirty-two reports due immediately prior to the 1998 and 2000 county elections, two were received on or after election day, another four were received with less than 1 business hour prior to the election, and another six were received within four business hours prior to the election. Only half (16) of the total reports were received within eight business hours of the election. All six of the reports that were received after the required deadline had been mailed and postmarked prior to the deadline.
Another important factor in assessing the potential for public disclosure of these finances is the timeline in which the local daily newsprint are able to print the information. There is one local daily newpaper in Alachua County which prints 7 days each week: The Gainesville Sun. Its managing news editor stated to the Alachua County Campaign Finance Reform Advisory Board that it would need to have these financial reports by noon on the Friday before the election in order to print the financial information.
Of these thirty-two reports due immediately prior to the 1998 and 2000 county elections, only five were received in time to have met the Sun's printing timeline. Twenty-five would not have met this timeline. Two lacked a legible receipt time and therefore it could not be determined whether or not they would have met this timeline.
| 1bh= | 1 business hour for Supervisor of Elections Office |
| 4bh= | 4 business hours for Supervisor of Elections Office |
| 8bh= | 8 business hours for Supervisor of Elections Office |
| Holiday= | is the day before election a holiday Monday? (elections office closed; no postal service) |
| Sun time= | Friday noon before election day (the time by which the Gainesville Sun managing editor stated they would need to have contribution data in order to print it prior to election). |
| Postmark= | date on the envelope in which the financial report was mailed to the Supervisor of Elections. The Supervisor records the postmark only when the report is received after the deadline. |
| Candidate | Report Due | Receive Date | Receive Time | Monday holiday? | Election Date | Received 1bh before election? | Received 4bh before election? | Received 8bh before election? | Received by Sun time? | Postmark date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lloyd Bailey | 11/03/00 | 11/03/00 | 03:31 PM | N | 11/07/00 | Y | Y | Y | N | |
| Larry Bishop | 09/01/00 | 09/01/00 | 02:49 PM | Y | 09/05/00 | Y | N | N | N | |
| 09/29/00 | 09/29/00 | 09:49 AM | N | 10/03/00 | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Mike Byerly | 09/01/00 | 09/01/00 | 10:52 AM | Y | 09/05/00 | Y | Y | N | Y | |
| 11/03/00 | 11/03/00 | na | N | 11/07/00 | Y | Y | Y | ? | ||
| Susan Carter | 11/03/00 | 11/06/00 | 04:17 PM | N | 11/07/00 | N | N | N | N | 11/03/00 |
| Phil Denton | 08/28/98 | 08/27/98 | 03:39 PM | N | 09/01/98 | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mark Dunmore | 09/01/00 | 09/01/00 | 03:42 PM | Y | 09/05/00 | Y | N | N | N | |
| Germaine Ferguson | 09/01/00 | 09/01/00 | 04:36 PM | Y | 09/05/00 | N | N | N | N | |
| Von Fraser | 09/01/00 | 09/01/00 | 03:00 PM | Y | 09/05/00 | Y | N | N | N | |
| 09/29/00 | 09/29/00 | 04:37 PM | N | 10/03/00 | Y | Y | Y | N | ||
| 11/03/00 | 11/03/00 | 04:56 PM | N | 11/07/00 | Y | Y | Y | N | ||
| Wally Grant | 09/01/00 | 09/01/00 | 10:25 AM | Y | 09/05/00 | Y | Y | N | Y | |
| 09/29/00 | 09/29/00 | na | N | 10/03/00 | Y | Y | Y | ? | ||
| Tommy Hines | 09/01/00 | 09/01/00 | 09:55 AM | Y | 09/05/00 | Y | Y | N | Y | |
| Robert Hutchinson | 08/28/98 | 08/28/98 | 04:24 PM | N | 09/01/98 | Y | Y | Y | N | |
| 09/25/98 | 09/25/98 | 04:32 PM | N | 09/29/98 | Y | Y | Y | N | ||
| Jim Konish | 11/03/00 | 11/03/00 | 01:14 PM | N | 11/07/00 | Y | Y | Y | N | |
| Rodney Long | 09/01/00 | 09/01/00 | 04:58 PM | Y | 09/05/00 | N | N | N | N | |
| 09/29/00 | 09/29/00 | 02:00 PM | N | 10/03/00 | Y | Y | Y | N | ||
| 11/03/00 | 11/03/00 | 02:58 PM | N | 11/07/00 | Y | Y | Y | N | ||
| John Martin | 08/28/98 | 08/31/98 | 04:52 PM | N | 09/01/98 | N | N | N | N | 08/28/98 |
| 09/25/98 | 09/28/98 | 01:42 PM | N | 09/29/98 | Y | N | N | N | 09/25/98 | |
| Debra McElroy | 11/03/00 | 11/03/00 | 04:00 PM | N | 11/07/00 | Y | Y | Y | N | |
| Tom Mcknew | 11/03/00 | 11/06/00 | 03:43 PM | N | 11/07/00 | Y | N | N | N | 11/03/00 |
| Dave Newport | 08/28/98 | 08/28/98 | 02:04 PM | N | 09/01/98 | Y | Y | Y | N | |
| Ben Rowe | 11/03/00 | 11/03/00 | 02:13 PM | N | 11/07/00 | Y | Y | Y | N | |
| Bobby Summers | 08/28/98 | 09/01/98 | 10:57 AM | N | 09/01/98 | N | N | N | N | 08/28/98 |
| Jancie Vinson | 08/28/98 | 08/28/98 | 02:49 PM | N | 09/01/98 | Y | Y | Y | N | |
| Jancie Vinson | 09/01/00 | 09/01/00 | 02:44 PM | Y | 09/05/00 | Y | N | N | N | |
| Penny Wheat | 11/03/00 | 11/08/00 | 05:10 PM | N | 11/07/00 | N | N | N | N | 11/03/00 |
| Dick Williams | 08/28/98 | 08/31/98 | 10:30 AM | N | 09/01/98 | Y | Y | N | N | 08/26/98 |
| Total NO: | N-6 | N-12 | N-16 | N-25 | ||||||
| Total YES: | Y-26 | Y-20 | Y-16 | Y-5 | ||||||
| unknown: | ?-0 | ?-0 | ?-0 | ?-2 | ||||||
Prepared by Susan Wright with the assistance of the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections staff.
December 5, 2001 / Updated February 12, 2002