Scott Blackburn
Imagine, for example, a local Delaware Kiwanis Club publishing a mailer saying, “The Kiwanis Club asked the town council for $1,000 to help pay for this year’s Fourth of July fireworks display, traditionally sponsored by Kiwanis. The council voted 3-2 against the motion, with members Jones and Smith voting yes and members Brown, Black and Green voting no.”
Under Delaware law, as unfortunately upheld by the 3rd Circuit Court in Delaware, such a flyer would be considered a “campaign communication.” This would be the case even if this was one line in a 10-page newsletter. Before distributing that mailer, Kiwanis in Delaware would be required to register with the state, follow a series of complicated regulations intended for political committees and make public all of their members who paid their monthly $10 dues fee… All contributors for the last four years, regardless of their current affiliation with the group, must be publicly reported to the state.
