Former Reno City Councilmember Files Election Violation Complaint Against PAC

In the hope of shutting down a free speech platform critical of the Washoe County Registrar of Voters, the Washoe County Commission, the Washoe County School Board, and the Reno City Council, former Reno City Councilmember Paul McKenzie has filed an election violation complaint against the Political Action Committee (PAC) Operation Sunlight, associated with Robert Beadles.

McKenzie alleges serious violations, claiming that the PAC has failed to disclose any political expenditures with the state since the first quarter of 2022. In that report, Beadles was the sole registered officer for the PAC.

Under state law, political campaigns must file quarterly Contributions & Expenses (C&E) reports during election years and one C&E report per non-election year. McKenzie points to the PAC’s Facebook ads as evidence of political spending, noting that the ads explicitly call to action to vote or support candidates.

Emphasizing the importance of adhering to state law, McKenzie states that while he disagrees with Operation Sunlight’s politics and attack ads, transparency is paramount. If operating under the guise of a PAC, disclosure of contributions and expenditures is obligatory through the Secretary of State’s office in Nevada.

“The law doesn’t say that you can’t lie about another candidate, but it does say if you’re going to lie about another candidate, you need to disclose where the money is coming from for those lies and how that money is being spent to spread those lies,” said McKenzie.

Evidence of political content is found in the public Facebook ads library under “Operation Sunlight” in the ads category about “social issues, elections, or politics.” Numerous flagged Operation Sunlight ads advocate for or against election candidates, with many removed for violating Facebook’s policies. The ads library also displays the amount spent on each ad.

In response to McKenzie’s allegations, Robert Beadles stated, “He can look forward to meeting my attorneys for filing frivolous, fabricated statements under oath.”

McKenzie is calling on Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar to investigate and refer the matter to Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford for legal action.