Measure 4-221 in May would repeal a county ordinance on vacation rentals.

The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office has opened an investigation into a complaint filed against a group opposed to a ballot measure in the May election that could threaten vacation rentals in most unincorporated parts of Clatsop County.

The complaint alleges that in the process of opposing Measure 4-221, Marie Gwydir-Moore and Everyone For The North Oregon Coast failed to register as a political action committee and file campaign finance transactions. The group formed last year to support the rights of vacation rental owners.

If approved by voters, the measure would repeal an ordinance approved by the county Board of Commissioners last summer that recognized vacation rentals as a permitted use in 16 unincorporated zones in the development code.

The election complaint was filed in March by Cheryl Conway, an Astoria resident, and Bebe Michel, a Gearhart resident, both of whom are politically active with the Democratic Party. Clatsop County Democrats endorsed the ballot measure.

Ben Morris, a spokesman for the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, said the elections division made a determination this week to open an investigation into the complaint. An investigation can take several months or longer depending on the complexity of the complaint, he said.

In a notice sent to Gwydir-Moore on Tuesday, the secretary of state’s office asked for responses to a number of questions and information requests by April 28.

Gwydir-Moore, a vacation rental owner and leader of Everyone For The North Oregon Coast, said that if a mistake was made, it was done unknowingly.

She said the group took donations for many things before the measure qualified for the May ballot. She said a lot of the donations were spent on challenging the ballot title last summer.

“What I hope the most is it doesn’t give the other side some way to twist the truth,” Gwydir-Moore said. “Because the truth is, we just didn’t know any better. It’s not because we purposely did anything.”

A political action committee was formed for the group in late March and has raised $17,000 as of Thursday, according to the secretary of state’s office website.

In March, Everyone For The North Oregon Coast filed a lawsuit in Circuit Court asking a judge to deem the referendum unlawful and invalidate the election results. A ruling is expected by the end of the month.

Gwydir-Moore said no money has been spent on the group’s attorneys until there is more clarity on how to proceed with state reporting requirements.

The referendum was successfully filed last summer by homeowners — mostly in the wealthy enclave of Cove Beach and the gated community of Surf Pines — organized under the name North Coast Neighbors United.

As of Thursday, the group has raised nearly $24,000.