Campaign Finance Manual
It is unlawful for any corporation, business entity, labor union, professional association, or insurance company to directly or indirectly contribute to a candidate (There is no exception to the prohibition against receiving business funds. However, some owners of small businesses have only one bank account, and use that single account for both business and personal purposes. North Carolina campaign finance law permits treasurers to accept a check that bears the name of a business provided certain requirements are met). The prohibition of contributions from these entities also applies to “in-kind contributions,” such as the donation of items to committees for fund-raisers, or to the sponsoring of holes at golf tournaments, the provision or discount of a service, such as a restaurant meal, or the provision or discount of a product to the committee or committee member.
Political committees that are not registered with the appropriate board of election in North Carolina are prohibited from contributing to committees in North Carolina.
A registered political committee other than the exempt political executive and affiliated party committees may contribute only as much as five thousand two hundred dollars ($5,200) per election to candidate committees.
Registered referendum committees that received any contribution from a corporation, labor union, insurance company, business entity, or professional association or have received contributions in excess of the contribution limitations for political committees ($5,200 per election) may not contribute to a candidate committee.
Anonymous contributions are prohibited. A committee shall not receive funds without knowing and recording the name of the person who contributed. For the same reason, collection of funds for which contributor contact information is not obtained, such as a “pass-the-hat” collection, is prohibited.
Contributions made in the name of another are prohibited.
For example, Mr. Welloff may not give his employee money for the purpose of the employee’s making a contribution. Mrs. Bigheart may not give a contribution with instructions that it be recorded in the name of her friend. Another common violation occurs when a treasurer receives a personal check bearing two names and assumes that the amount of the check is meant to be a contribution evenly split between the two names. The treasurer may only make this determination after specific authorization from both persons whose names appear on the check. Otherwise, the contribution is to be attributed only to the person who signed the check.
Checks or money orders that do not contain a specific designation of the intended recipient chosen by the contributor are prohibited.
Any cash contribution greater than $50.00 is prohibited. All contributions greater than $50.00 must be made by a verifiable form of payment, such as a personal check, money order, demand draft, cashier’s check, debit or credit card. This prohibition also applies to candidates who wish to withdraw funds from their personal account to be deposited in a campaign finance account.
Prohibited contributions shall be forfeited to the State Board of Elections for deposit into the NC Civil Penalty and Forfeiture Fund.