The election is now just days away. And now, questions are being raised about one campaign's contributions.  Under South Dakota law, all campaign contributions of $100 or more must be filed in a report to the state. 

The report must include donors’ names and addresses. When more than $11-thousand in donations were listed without names or addresses on the finance report for Vote Yes For Life, opponents of measure eleven contacted the Secretary of State. 

Vote Yes for Life says it plans to address the situation. 

With just eight days until the election, and at a tie according to our KELOLAND News / Argus leader scientific poll, both sides of measure eleven are working feverishly to gather the votes that could decide the fate of the ballot issue. 

But Monday, Vote Yes For Life, the group supporting measure eleven's abortion ban, took time to explain where $11-thousand in unnamed contributions came from. 

Brandi Gruis of Vote Yes For Life says, "We have had volunteer staff display booths throughout county fairs all through the summer. So we received anonymous donations from people just walking by and giving contributions."
Vote Yes For Life says other parts of the donations in question were from Sunday school church programs. South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, which opposes measure eleven, contacted the secretary of state's office after reviewing Vote Yes for Life's finance report. 

Nathan Peterson of South Dakota Campaign For Healthy Families says, "I think that trying to report campaign donations as anonymous is dishonest and that Vote Yes For Life should be compelled to comply with South Dakota campaign finance law." 

That law says Vote Yes For Life must either identify those donors, for which the Secretary of State set a deadline of five o'clock Monday, or donate the money to charity. Vote Yes for Life says it plans to do the latter. 

Gruis says, "We are working on getting it to some of the churches who have assisted in the baby bottle boomerang program and I think we're looking at one other charity here in South Dakota." 

Peterson says, “I think that all we wanted was to ensure that they comply with South Dakota finance law just like we've complied with South Dakota finance law." 

In talking with South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson, he calls the statute governing these types of contributions "very simple." It's also important to note that there is no restriction on what a charity does with the money, after a campaign donates it to them, which wouldn't prohibit the money from once again being donated to the campaign. 

Vote Yes For Life October 24 Finance Report 

South Dakota Campaign For Healthy Families October 24 Finance Report 

The Secretary of State also defines the guidelines in this situation on pages 6-7 of this online guidebook.

Update:
Vote Yes for Life made the donations to Linwood Wesleyan Church, Abiding Savior Church, Church at the Gate and Calvary Chapel as well as the Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center in Rapid City.