South Dakota Secretary of State office says Rep. Jamie Smith remedied campaign finance mistake

The Secretary of State office will not be looking into whether Rep. Jamie Smith (D-Sioux Falls) violated campaign finance laws after a mistake was made when his gubernatorial campaign filed donor contributions without the mailing addresses Oct. 24.

In an email to the Argus Leader, Kea Warne, the director of the Division of Elections, wrote the Smith for Governor committee was able to remedy their mistake within the seven-day timeframe set by South Dakota law, which allows campaigns for public office to fix omissions or inaccuracies to make sure the filings are accurate.

Smith is running against Gov. Kristi Noem as she aims for a second term. Election day is Nov. 8.

This comes after Noem's re-election campaign requested an investigation and the South Dakota GOP chair, Dan Lederman, requested the Secretary of State office hold a contested case hearing about whether Smith had violated campaign finance laws during his pre-general election disclosure filing.

More:Gov. Kristi Noem spends record-breaking amount on campaign; tracks with national trends

Per law, campaigns are required to list the names, addresses and donation amounts from individual donors.

Smith's campaign said the filing issue was a clerical error and they worked quickly to correct the information. A review of the Secretary of State's office website found Smith's campaign had filed an amendment Oct. 25.

Noem's campaign spent more than $4.7 million while Smith's campaign spent less than $810,000, according to their filings.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Jamie Smith remedied campaign finance errors, says Secretary of State