A front group for ultra-conservative Art Pope is jumping into new territory with the encouragement of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. It is using money from Pope’s business to run attack ads against Democratic leaders in the General Assembly. The 501(c)(4) group, called Civitas Action, has the same executive director, office, and dominating financial [...]
The insidious corporate takeover of the U.S. Congress is gaining momentum and going global. A new report reveals that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is soliciting foreign donations to bolster its political operations, which include a $75 million budget for attack ads to elect its proxies to Congress. That’s probably the biggest political budget of [...]
If you work with a nonprofit group, school, faith-based organization or social-service agency, you can play a vital role in educating and mobilizing voters. A one-hour webinar by the NC Center for Nonprofits will help you understand what nonprofits can and can’t do within tax law restrictions, and also give an overview of the basics [...]
Secret sponsors: Interest groups are spending five times as much in this election as in the last midterm election – and the identities of the money suppliers behind these groups are mostly unknown, in contrast to 2006 when 90% of the donors were disclosed. Public Citizens has a new report analyzing “fading disclosure” and the New [...]
The South and other parts of the Sunbelt will gain seats in Congress after the redistricting triggered by the new Census figures. But how many seats? The Institute for Southern Studies and its must-read blog Facing South are keeping score. The latest estimate by a private firm shows Florida and Texas gaining a total of [...]
A new poll in swing Congressional districts finds that voters heavily favor the Fair Elections Now Act – the bill to provide Congressional candidates with a practical campaign-financing alternative that orients them to small donors and constituents rather than Washington lobbyists and PACs. How the question is asked in a poll always influences the answer, [...]
Wilmington businessman Rusty Carter got slapped with a $100,000 fine today for funneling illegal contributions to state politicians. The Associated Press story describes what happened at the State Board of Elections meeting and references the letter Democracy North Carolina sent in June, urging the Board to assess a hefty penalty against Carter for his actions. [...]
The divide between rich and poor is widening in the United States, thanks in part to a political system driven by money. “The top-earning 20 percent of Americans — those making more than $100,000 each year — received 49% of all income generated in the U.S., compared with the 3% earned by those below the [...]
The New York Times exposes the simple function of Americans for Job Security: serve as a front for corporations and business owners with a political agenda “to sidestep campaign disclosure rules.” It is set up as a 501(c)(6) trade association with members paying “dues” that are often one-time payments for attack-ad campaigns against specific politicians [...]
The State Board of Elections has posted a list of Early Voting sites for all 100 counties on its website, with days and times each is open. Many counties offer multiple locations and more than one weekend day for convenient voting or same-day registration and voting during this period, Oct. 14 to 30. Seven include [...]