WV POLITICAL ADVERTISING DOES NOT HAVE TO LIST ORIGIN

(10/20/2008)

West Virginia voters may be seeing political advertising in the final two weeks of the General Election campaign without the disclosure of who is paying for the ads. U.S. District Judge Thomas Johnston ruled Friday a West Virginia electioneering law is vague and overly broad. Johnston's ruling will open the door for groups like West Virginians for Life and the Virginia-based Center for Individual Freedom who want to issue material without taking responsibility for its content. The judge's preliminary injunction would allow political advertising through "mass mailings, telephone banks, billboard advertisements, newspapers, magazines and other periodicals" without the disclosure of who is paying for the ads. The restrictions will stay in place for broadcast ads. Secretary of State Betty Ireland has asked Judge Johnston to postpone the enforcement of his preliminary injunction because it comes so close to the election. The Secretary of State's Office says the ruling rewrites state election law just 17 days before the vote.

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