Two former political candidates from Athens are among the 92 candidates or political action committees who violated state campaign finance rules for failing to file their annual reports in 2016.

Among the 92 are former candidate Ronnie Coffman, a land surveyor from Elkmont who ran for the state House District 5 seat after Rep. Dan Williams died in 2015, and former candidate Jerry Hill, a decorated former Vietnam War Green Beret from Athens who challenged U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Alabama.

The list was released May 1 by Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, whose office governs the reporting of campaign contributions and other information.

Minor error

Coffman’s violation was minor. When he filed a document after the election dissolving his campaign, he sent it by mail instead of electronically as required by the Secretary of State’s Office.

“You used to be able to file paper,” said Coffman, who had run for office before.

The Secretary of State’s Office requires candidates to either file a form dissolving their campaigns after an election or file an annual report. If a candidate doesn’t plan on running for office any time soon, they usually dissolve it.

Coffman, who filed all of his other campaign documents electronically, said he received notice of the violation Saturday and will resend the form electronically sometime this week.

Hill was not available for comment Monday afternoon on the nature of his violation. Hill typically filed his campaign finance documents in person at the Limestone County Probate Judge’s Office Board of Registrars Office, which would then send a copy to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Redress

None of the candidates or PACs is facing administrative penalties, Merrill said in a statement.

A formal monetary fee structure has been set up for the 2018 election cycle. Individuals or groups that raise or spend more than $1,000 in a campaign year are required to submit a report.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.