Campaign finance requirements for North Carolina ballot measures
 in North Carolina |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in North Carolina must adhere to the state's campaign finance laws. These laws regulate the amounts and sources of money given or received for political purposes; in addition, campaign finance laws stipulate disclosure requirements for political contributions and expenditures.
Proponents of more stringent regulations and disclosure requirements, such as the Brennan Center for Justice, claim that current laws do not go far enough to mitigate corruption and the influence of undisclosed special interests. Others, such as the Institute for Free Speech, argue that strict disclosure requirements and contribution limits impinge upon the rights to privacy and free expression.[1][2]
| North Carolina defines any group acting in support of or opposition to a statewide ballot measure as a state referendum committee. Committees can accept unlimited contributions. |
The laws and regulations that apply to ballot measure campaigns may differ from those that apply to candidates for political office. To learn more about campaign finance requirements for candidates, see this article.
North Carolina ballot measures
- See also: Ballot measure
A ballot measure is any question or issue that appears on an election ballot to be approved or rejected by voters. In 26 states, plus Washington, D.C., citizens may use the initiative and referendum process, which permits citizens to petition to place measures on the ballot and usually involves a signature collection process of some kind. Even in states without initiative and referendum processes, however, ballot measures exist. In all states, citizens may be asked to approve legislatively referred constitutional amendments, state statutes, bond issues or tax proposals.
In North Carolina, ballot measures come in only one form: legislatively referred constitutional amendments.
Organizational requirements
North Carolina defines any group acting in support of or opposition to a statewide ballot measure as a state referendum committee and any group acting in support of or opposition to a local referendum as a county/municipal referendum committee. A referendum committee must file a campaign finance report within 10 days of forming. A committee may cease to exist when it winds up its operations, disposes of its assets and files a final report.[3][4]
See form: Referendum Committee Statement of Organization
Contribution limits
Generally speaking, referendum committees in North Carolina can accept unlimited contributions. However, referendum committees may not contribute to any other political committee. Referendum committees may not accept anonymous donations. Cash donations are limited to $50.[4][5]
Reporting requirements
After filing its initial report, a referendum committee must file four reports per year.
- Pre-referendum report: This report is due 10 days before the scheduled referendum. The report covers all activity from the close of the initial report period to seven days prior to the deadline.
- Final report:This report is due 10 days after the referendum. The report covers all campaign finance activity from the close of the last reporting period up to the 10-day deadline.
- Supplemental final report: This report is required if the final report did not show a balance of zero. This covers all activity up to December 31. The report is due on January 7. This report is also an opportunity for the committee to file for termination.
- Annual report: This annual report is due on January 7. This report must be filed if the committee does not have a zero balance.
For all contributions exceeding $50 in total during an election, a committee must report the name, address and occupation of the donor. Likewise, for all expenditures exceeding $50, a committee must report the name and address of the recipient, as well as the amount and purpose of the expenditure.[4]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021–2022
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in North Carolina in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in North Carolina, 2021 (September 2021 election) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Organizational report | First day of committee activity – (up to) 10th day of committee activity | Within 10 days of committee formation |
| Pre-referendum report | Organizational report – August 31, 2021 | September 7, 2021 |
| Final report | September 1, 2021 – September 17, 2021 | September 24, 2021 |
| Supplemental final report | September 18, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | January 7, 2022 |
| Annual report | January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022 | January 9, 2023 |
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in North Carolina, 2021 (March 2022 election) | ||
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Organizational report | First day of committee activity – (up to) 10th day of committee activity | Within 10 days of committee formation |
| Pre-referendum report | Organizational report – February 21, 2022 | February 28, 2022 |
| Final report | February 22, 2022 – March 11, 2022 | March 18, 2022 |
| Supplemental final report | March 12, 2022 – December 31, 2022 | January 9, 2023 |
| Annual report | January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023 | January 8, 2024 |
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in North Carolina, 2021 (November 2022 election) | ||
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Organizational report | First day of committee activity – (up to) 10th day of committee activity | Within 10 days of committee formation |
| Pre-referendum report | Organizational report – October 24, 2022 | October 31, 2022 |
| Final report | October 25, 2022 – November 11, 2022 | November 18, 2022 |
| Supplemental final report | November 12, 2022 – December 31, 2022 | January 9, 2023 |
| Annual report | January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023 | January 8, 2024 |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Reporting Schedule," accessed July 14, 2021 | ||
State agencies
In North Carolina, there is one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation.
North Carolina State Board of Elections
- 441 N Harrington Street
- Raleigh, NC 27603
- Telephone: 919-733-7173
- Email: elections.sboe@ncsbe.gov
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the North Carolina state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms North Carolina campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in North Carolina
- Campaign finance agencies in North Carolina
- List of North Carolina ballot measures
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "§ 163-278.6. Definitions," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance User Manual," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "§ 163-278.14. No contributions in names of others; no anonymous contributions; contributions in excess of fifty dollars; no contribution without specific designation of contributor," accessed December 9, 2015
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