A recent TV ad supporting Proposition 1 followed all campaign finance laws, according to the Idaho Secretary of State’s office.
The controversy over the ad focused on how it was paid for.
Idahoans United for Women and Families, which qualified Prop 1 for the ballot, gave the Idaho State Democratic Party two chunks of money totaling $620,500 over the past week.
The state Democratic party then funneled that money through Terri Pickens’ campaign, the Democratic candidate for governor.
That’s because all candidates running for political office receive discounts on advertising compared to issue-based groups like Idahoans United.
The anti-Prop 1 group, Too Extreme for Idaho, said on Thursday that the move was underhanded and urged general managers of Idaho TV stations to stop playing the ad until they charge the full rate.
“Allowing one side of a ballot measure debate to buy discounted time intended for candidates, while the other side pays the issue rate, creates an uneven playing field on a question Idaho voters will decide in less than two weeks,” wrote Christian Welp, a board member for Too Extreme for Idaho and the lobbyist for the Catholic Diocese of Idaho.
“Fair and even-handed treatment of both sides of a public question is central to that obligation,” Welp continued.
A spokesperson for the Idaho Secretary of State’s office on Friday said Idahoans United, the state Democratic Party and Terri Pickens broke no campaign finance laws with the ad.
“Opponents of Prop 1 will go to any lengths to prevent Idaho voters from learning about the devastating consequences Idaho’s extreme abortion ban has had on pregnant women across the state, or how Prop 1 will restore commonsense exceptions while retaining reasonable restrictions,” Avery Roberts, Communications Director for the Idaho Democratic Party said in a statement Thursday.
A spokesperson for Too Extreme for Idaho did not immediately return a request for comment. This story will be updated should the group provide one.
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