A Push for Transparency
A bipartisan group of leaders are looking to overhaul the state campaign finance system before the 2028 election.
Hope everyone enjoyed watching my bracket crumble over the weekend. How is it that both Duke and UNC managed to blow 19-point leads?
We’re taking Good Friday off this week, but will return to your inbox next Tuesday. By then, we’ll also know who won our bracket contests.
Now let’s dive into what you need to know for the week ahead.
🧑⚖️Roll Call
Overhauling our messy campaign finance reporting system
What happens to a lawmaker’s records when they leave office?
What to watch for this week in the General Assembly
A State Bar legislative committee meeting gets testy
Money Moves
If you’ve ever tried to navigate North Carolina’s complex campaign finance system to report or review political spending, it’s no secret that it can be frustrating.
Unlike the Federal Election Commission, the State Board of Elections website doesn’t upload reports in real time. When documents are submitted electronically or via snail mail, it’s left to nonpartisan election staff to review them and get them up on the website for the public to see.
That’s why we had to wait until the day before the primary to see information about state fundraising and spending on Senate leader Phil Berger’s campaign, and it was already 16 days old. (As we reported then, $8.6 million had been spent bolstering Berger through mid-February, with another $2 million on hand.)
Meanwhile, there’s little punishment for those who file late. An outside group that spent heavily to bolster Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page submitted its report three weeks past deadline.
The maximum penalty for non-statewide elections under state law for is $500, while statewide candidates face a maximum $10,000. For campaigns that bring in anywhere from tens of thousands to millions of dollars, that can be a drop in the bucket. And it can take several months before state officials issue a penalty.
For savvy campaigns that want to keep fundraising numbers out of the public eye for as long as possible, the current system works great. For transparency advocates and political onlookers, the limited visibility presents several problems.
Auditor Dave Boliek is now leading a 22-member Modernization of Election Data Systems Commission. Andy Jackson, director of the Civitas Center of Public Integrity at the conservative John Locke Foundation, is spearheading the subcommittee focused on campaign finance filing and public disclosure.
