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Board fines candidate Shane Boswell for missing disclosure on business cards, dismisses complaint against Joe Brand
Summary
At the September meeting the State Board adjudicated two Stand‑By‑Your‑Ad complaints: it imposed the statutory minimum penalty for a disclosure omission by House candidate Shane Boswell and dismissed a separate complaint against Joe Brand where the board found notice and guidance issues for vendors and campaigns.
The Virginia State Board of Elections heard two Stand‑By‑Your‑Ad complaints and issued separate rulings. The board imposed the statutory minimum penalty on the committee Friends of Shane Boswell for failing to include a conspicuous disclosure on early campaign business cards and dismissed a separate complaint against Friends of Joe Brand concerning print‑media disclosure formatting.
Shane Boswell, a first‑time candidate for the House of Delegates (District 31), appeared in person and acknowledged the omission. "I'm a first time candidate. I messed up," Boswell told the board, adding that he had destroyed the old cards and ordered corrected ones after receiving the certified notice and that he had implemented a compliance review for new campaign material. The board discussed precedent for penalties for general‑assembly candidates and approved imposing the statutory minimum penalty for a first‑time offense.
In the second matter, Joe Brand (Friends of Joe Brand) appeared remotely and said his vendor placed a printed disclosure line on the material and that the vendor had represented the design as compliant with state code. Brand told the board he received notice of the board’s updated guidance after the materials were printed and that many other local campaign signs observed did not include the boxed format the department’s candidate guidance now shows. Board members debated whether guidance and notice to campaigns and vendors had been sufficiently clear; several members cited due‑process concerns and inconsistent vendor practice. The board voted to dismiss the complaint against Brand, finding the record showed the committee had received the statutory disclosure but that vendor and guidance inconsistencies warranted dismissal.
Actions recorded: the board voted to impose the statutory minimum penalty for Boswell’s committee (penalty amount discussed by staff as $100 for a first‑time offense) and to dismiss the complaint against Brand. The board also discussed sending guidance to campaigns and vendors about the updated Stand‑By‑Your‑Ad guidance and suggested sharing the issue with legislative staff for future clarifications.
