PLAIN CITY — Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, is now unopposed for his Senate seat following his opponent’s disqualification.
Brent Andrews, of Sunset, who was the Democrat candidate for the Senate District 20 seat, failed to file his financial disclosure by 5 p.m. Tuesday, said Mark Thomas, state elections director in the office of Lt. Gov. Greg Bell.
By law, all candidates must file a financial disclosure form by 5 p.m. Oct. 30.
“I feel bad for Mr. Andrews,” Jenkins said Friday. “I don’t know what he was thinking.”
Thomas said all candidates who file for office sign a form stating they know when the filing deadlines are, as well as a form that states the candidates understand they will be disqualified if they do not file by the deadlines.
Under the law, Thomas said, his office has no choice but to disqualify candidates who do not meet the deadline to file financial reports.
“Our office also sends emails to each candidate about the deadlines, as well as mail a letter 10 days before the deadline, reminding them when the reports are due,” he said.
His staff also calls friends and family members and contacts candidates through social networking sites, like Facebook, as well as personally calls the candidates to tell them about the deadline for the financial reports.
Thomas said the courts have upheld the deadlines, no matter what the excuses are from the candidates.
One of his staff did talk to Andrews on Tuesday, but “he kept insisting the deadline was Nov. 6,” Thomas said.
Thomas said his staff members checked the system before they left at 5 p.m. to see if Andrews was online filing a form, but he was not.
Andrews did call the office back an hour later on Tuesday, saying he had “zero to report,” Thomas said.
“I wish he had reported that to us and we could have helped him when we talked to him,” Thomas said.
Thomas said he talked to Andrews on Friday and “helped him better understand the process. I feel bad for him.”
Calls to Andrews on Friday were not immediately returned.
State Senate District 20 has expanded to include portions of north Davis County including Sunset and Clinton.
In Weber County, the district lines mostly are drawn from Interstate 15 west and now include less of Ogden and Harrisville.
Comments