Looks like the tide's running hard against the State Board of Elections and proponents of campaign-finance reform. That won't change anytime soon.
The board recently investigated whether the N.C. Association of Realtors broke the law in 2008 when it pumped millions of dollars -- much of it from its members' mandatory dues assessments -- into a campaign to kill county referenda pushing an increase in property-transfer taxes.
The Realtors' campaign was a big success, but not a hit with all the association's members. One filed a complaint with the Board of Elections, saying the mandatory $70-per-member assessment, which generated $1.8 million, was illegal. In total, the Realtors spent $2.7 million through nearly 30 organizations in 2007 and 2008 to oppose higher transfer taxes, and better than $1 million more on lobbying.
The elections board concluded that the Realtors didn't violate the law, but also decided that groups working for or against local referendums will have to file detailed reports with the board, so the public knows who is financing the campaigns.
That's not nearly enough, because there's a profound change in the rules, brought on by the U.S. Supreme Court's January decision called "Citizens United." The court tossed out many restrictions on campaign donors, allowing corporations and special interest groups to spend lavishly on candidates and electoral issues without needing to funnel the money through political action committees. Citizens United will bring sweeping change to the way politics is conducted, most likely leading to an immediate escalation in spending on political campaigns.
Without new rules in place, it will be easier than ever for special interests to buy elections. The Board of Elections' decision to increase the reporting requirements for local political campaigns is a tiny step toward that goal. But the General Assembly and Congress need to do a great deal more.
If we can't limit contributions by special interests, we can add transparency. When the spending wars break out, the voters are entitled to know who's writing the checks. Beginning with this year's elections, there will be new money flowing into campaigns from sources that were previously banned from participation. That requires an urgent, immediate review by legislators on the state and national levels.
As Damon Circosta, executive director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education, put it, "At the very least, we need to know where the money is coming from."
That will require opening the windows and letting more sunshine in. Soon.
