For more information, contact:
Ohio Ethics Commission
(614) 466-7090

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE FILING DEADLINE IS MONDAY, OCTOBER 4

The Ohio Ethics Commission is reminding all candidates for any city or county elected office in the November 2, 2004 election that the deadline for filing a personal financial disclosure statement is Monday, October 4, 2004. Candidates for the state board of education and for school boards in large districts (with a student count of 12,000 or more) must also file by October 4. The deadline for write-in candidates is Wednesday, October 13, 2004. No filing is required if the candidate previously filed a statement in 2004 for information pertaining to calendar year 2003.

Completed and signed disclosure statements must be received by the Commission by the appropriate filing deadline or the statements must be U.S. postmarked on or before the appropriate deadline. The Commission is required to assess fees against any person who files late, which equals $10 each day the statement is late, up to a maximum of two hundred and fifty dollars ($250).

Most of the disclosure statements that are filed with the Commission are available for public inspection. Copies of those disclosure statements are available free of charge to any person.

Blank copies of the financial disclosure statements can be obtained from the county boards of elections or the Ohio Ethics Commission. Blank statements can also be downloaded from the Ethics Commission's website at www.ethics.ohio.gov. For more information about the disclosure statements or the filing process, please contact the Commission at (614) 466-7090 or visit its website.

The Ohio Ethics Commission is an independent state agency that administers financial disclosure for many state and local public officials and employees, outside of the General Assembly and judiciary, in addition to its advisory, education, and investigative responsibilities. The Commission was created over 30 years ago, upon the enactment of the Ohio Ethics Law in 1973.

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