In North Carolina, banks have different security protocols for setting up campaign finance accounts for candidate or other political committees. Some request that the treasurer obtain an Employee Identification Number (also known as EIN). The EIN is not a number associated with requirements of the Board of Elections. Treasurers should not enter the EIN on the fields that require the committee ID number.
Some banks have been willing to accept the Board of Elections-issued committee ID number instead of the EIN to satisfy security protocols.
In the event that a bank is willing to accept a committee ID number issued by a board of elections to satisfy a security protocol, staff at those boards of election that issue committee ID numbers will process the committee’s basic organizational paperwork without the finance account information having been completed.
In such a circumstance, the committee should submit the Certification of Financial Account (CRO-3500) with the word “pending” entered in the field for the bank account number. Board of elections staff will process the rest of the paperwork, register the committee, and provide the campaign ID number generated by the registration.
Once the committee is able to provide the committee ID number to the bank, and the bank in turn provides the committee a bank account number, the committee shall provide the campaign finance account information to the Board of Elections on a properly completed form CRO-3500. All forms CRO-3500 are kept in a secure location under lock and are unavailable for public viewing.
Committee treasurers should not transmit a complete bank account number and bank information via e-mail. Nor may board of elections staff accept this information by telephone.
Whether or not a bank seeks a committee ID number as a form of verification, staff at the State Board of Elections and county boards of elections are happy to assist bank officers to confirm that a given committee is registered with their respective boards. In many counties and at the state level, it is possible for bank officers to access the committee information online and see that it is duly registered.