Padding Your Resume an Election Law Violation

Hat Tip: Prof. Hasen

Apparently if you pad your resume on your campaign website in Ohio, you can be in violation of election laws. U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt (R) was issued a unanimous repimand by the Ohio Elections Commission.

The Ohio Elections Commission on Thursday found that Republican U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt violated campaign law by claiming on her Web site last year that she had two college degrees when she had only one.

snip

She obtained a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Cincinnati in 1974. The Web site said she also had received a bachelor's in education from Cincinnati in 1986. After a media call to the university revealed she had not, she said she had completed the course work for an education degree but had not received one, said her lawyer, William Todd.

Schmidt campaign spokesman Allen Freeman said the ruling against Schmidt Thursday would be appealed.

The complaint was brought by James Urling, a member of the Cincinnati-based Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, which has targeted Schmidt for her vote for a penny-a-dollar state sales tax increase in 2003.

Todd said Schmidt wasn't involved in the creation of her Web site and did not know its contents.

"Although there were some minor errors, they were not knowingly and willfully made," Todd told the commission.

In many cases, candidates often puff a little in order to make some political points. But I am not sure why candidates will puff on subjects that are easy to check out. Anyone can call a college to see if a degree has been issued. This is just dumb.

Finally, a note to everyone, just because a candidate does not supervise personally the developement of all the campaign's material, it is still your name on the website and campaign literature. You cannot, and should not, escape liability just because you didn't supervise things. I know Schmidt's lawyer needed to make some sort of argument, but this is just the worst choice. I would have gone with typo or overzealous staff, but lack of personal supervision is never going to cut it.