The Idaho Secretary of State’s office imposed a $250 fine on Ammon Bundy’s gubernatorial campaign staff. The staff was also told to add the words “Paid for by Ammon Bundy for Governor” to the website associated with signs posted across the state that say, “Don’t Vote.”
The QR code on the signs brings up dontvoteidaho.com followed by a series of statements about how a person should not vote if they are not informed. The site then prompts the person to “Get informed” by going to Bundy’s campaign website.
Deputy Secretary of State Chad Houck told the Sun on Wednesday that his office was initially unsure if the signs were made in coordination with Bundy’s campaign. The domain for the website was attached to an address listed in New Plymouth that matched donation records for Jerry Jones, who has donated $6,060 to Bundy since Aug. 2021.
“In a subsequent interview by phone with (Jones), he claimed no responsibility or involvement with the site or campaign, other than that of a donor/supporter,” Berry said in the letter. “The domain registration was connected to a family member’s business. He also stated that the copies of the signs in question that he had in his possession at the time had a small sticker disclosing ‘Paid for by Ammon Bundy for Governor’ in the bottom left corner.”
Barry added, “The attributions on the ‘Don’t Vote’ signs were roughly one-fifth of the overall size of the same attribution on the immediately adjacent ‘Ammon Bundy for Governor’ signs produced by the campaign, an attribution which is consistent with what would be considered normal and ‘clearly’ visible as per statute.”
The letter said the website did not have any attribution to the campaign, resulting in the $250 fine. The letter also requested acknowledgment from the campaign that all future campaign communications clearly attribute who paid for them.
As of Friday morning, the website did not include any statement about who paid for it. Berry also indicates in the letter that, if the campaign does not pay the fine, the Idaho Attorney General’s office may pursue further legal action to enforce its payment.
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