Chapter 163

No person shall be excused from attending or testifying or producing any books, papers or other documents before any court or magistrate upon any investigation, proceeding or trial for the violation of any of the provisions of this Article, upon the ground or for the reason that …

(a) It shall be the duty of the State Board and the district attorneys to investigate any violations of this Article, and the State Board and district attorneys are authorized and empowered to subpoena and compel the attendance of any person before them for the purpose of making …

If no contribution is received or expenditure made by or on behalf of a candidate, political committee, or referendum committee during a period described in G.S. 163-278.9, the treasurer shall file with the Board, at the time required by G.S. 163-278.9, a statement to that effect…

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter, a candidate for a county office, municipal office, local school board office, soil and water conservation district board of supervisors, or sanitary district board shall be exempted from the reports of contributions, loans,…

(a) Statements filed pursuant to provisions of this Article shall set forth the following: (1) Contributions. - Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, a list of all contributions received by or on behalf of a candidate, political committee, or referendum committee.…

(a) Subject to G.S. 163-278.39 and G.S. 163-278.14, individuals and other entities not otherwise prohibited from doing so may make independent expenditures. In the event an individual, person, or other entity making independent expenditures but not otherwise required to report th…

(a) Every individual or person that incurs an expense for the direct costs of producing or airing electioneering communications aggregating in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000) shall file the following reports with the appropriate board of elections in the manner prescribe…

(a) No individual, political committee, or other entity shall contribute to any candidate or other political committee any money or make any other contribution in any election in excess of six thousand eight hundred dollars ($6,800) for that election. (b) Effective for each odd-n…

(a) Definitions. - For purposes of this section: (1) "Limited contributor" means a lobbyist registered under Chapter 120C of the General Statutes, that lobbyist's agent, that lobbyist's principal as defined in G.S. 120C-100(21) or a political committee that employs or contracts w…

(a) No lobbyist may make a contribution as defined in G.S. 163-278.6 to a candidate or candidate campaign committee as defined in G.S. 163-278.38Z when that candidate meets any of the following criteria: (1) Is a legislator as defined in G.S. 120C-100. (2) Is a public servant as …

(a) No individual, political committee, or other entity shall make any contribution anonymously or in the name of another. No candidate, political committee, referendum committee, political party, affiliated party committee, or treasurer shall knowingly accept any contribution ma…

Evidence that communications are "to support or oppose the nomination or election of one or more clearly identified candidates." (a) The following shall be means of proving that an individual or other entity acted "to support or oppose the nomination or election of one or more cl…

(a) No candidate, political committee, political party, affiliated party committee, or treasurer shall accept any contribution made by any corporation, foreign or domestic, regardless of whether such corporation does business in the State of North Carolina, or made by any busines…

Except as provided in G.S. 163-278.6(74) and G.S. 163-278.12, no contribution may be received or expenditure made by or on behalf of a candidate, political committee, or referendum committee: (1) Until the candidate, political committee, or referendum committee appoints a treasur…

After December 31 prior to a general election in which a Council of State office will be on the ballot, no declared candidate for that Council of State office shall use or permit the use of State funds for any advertisement or public service announcement in a newspaper, on radio,…

(a) A candidate or candidate campaign committee may use contributions only for the following purposes: (1) Expenditures resulting from the campaign for public office by the candidate or candidate's campaign committee. (2) Expenditures resulting from holding public office. (3) Don…

(a) Each media outlet shall require written authority for each expenditure from each candidate, treasurer or individual making or authorizing an expenditure. A candidate may authorize advertisement paid for by a treasurer appointed by the candidate. All written authorizations of …

(a) No media and no supplier of materials or services shall charge or require a candidate, treasurer, political party, affiliated party committee, or individual to pay a charge for advertising, materials, space, or services purchased for or in support of or in opposition to any c…

(a) Except as provided in subsections (c), (d), (f), (g), (h), and (i) of this section it shall be unlawful for any corporation, business entity, labor union, professional association or insurance company directly or indirectly do any of the following: (1) To make any contributio…

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter, it is lawful for any person as defined in G.S. 163-278.6(72) to contribute to a referendum committee. (1979, c. 1073, s. 7; 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b).)

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of G.S. 163-278.19, a person prohibited by that section from making a contribution may donate to political parties, and affiliated party committees and political parties and affiliated party committees may accept from such a person, money and ot…

Repealed by Session Laws 2006-195, s. 2, effective January 1, 2007, and applicable to all contributions made and accepted on and after that date.

The State Board of Elections shall have responsibility, adequate staff, equipment and facilities, for promulgating all regulations necessary for the enforcement and administration of this Article and to prevent the circumvention of the provisions of this Article. The State Board …

It shall be the duty and power of the State Board: (1) To prescribe forms of statements and other information required to be filed by this Article, to furnish such forms to the county boards of elections and individuals, media or others required to file such statements and inform…

The Executive Director of the State Board shall inspect or cause to be inspected each statement filed with the State Board under this Article within 30 days after the date it is filed. The Executive Director shall advise, or cause to be advised, no more than 30 days and at least …

Within four months after the date of each election or referendum, the Executive Director shall examine or cause to be examined each statement filed with the Board under this Article, and, referring to the election or referendum, determine whether the statement conforms to law and…

No declaration of nomination and no certificate of election shall be granted to any candidate until the candidate or his treasurer has filed the statements referring to the election he is required to file under this Article. Within 24 hours after reaching a decision that a declar…

Any candidate for nomination or election who is denied a declaration of nomination or certificate of election, pursuant to G.S. 163-278.25, may, within five days after the action of the Board under that section, appeal to the Superior Court of Wake County for a final determinatio…

(a) Any individual, candidate, political committee, referendum committee, treasurer, person or media who intentionally violates the applicable provisions of G.S. 163-278.7, 163-278.8, 163-278.9, 163-278.10, 163-278.11, 163-278.12, 163-278.13, 163-278.13B, 163-278.14, 163-278.16, …

(a) The superior courts of this State shall have jurisdiction to issue injunctions or grant any other equitable relief appropriate to enforce the provisions of this Article upon application by any registered voter of the State. (b) If the Board makes a report to a district attorn…

No individual shall be excused from attending or testifying or producing any books, papers, or other documents before any court upon any proceeding or trial of another for the violation of any of the provisions of this Article, upon the ground or for the reason that the testimony…

Candidates for nomination in a party primary or for election in a general or special election to the offices of United States Senator, member of the United States House of Representatives, President or Vice-President of the United States shall file with the Board all reports they…

As used in this Article, the following terms mean: (1) Reserved (2) Elected officer. - Any individual serving in or seeking a public office. An individual is seeking a public office when that individual has filed any notice, petition, or other document required by law or local ac…

(a) An elected officer, or another individual or group of individuals on the elected officer's behalf, shall create a legal expense fund if given a legal expense donation, other than from that elected officer's self, spouse, parents, brothers, or sisters, for any of the following…

(a) Each legal expense fund shall appoint a treasurer and, under verification, report the name and address of the treasurer to the State Board. (b) A legal expense fund may remove its treasurer. In case of the death, resignation, or removal of its treasurer, the legal expense fun…

(a) The treasurer of each legal expense fund shall keep detailed accounts, current within seven calendar days after the date of receiving a legal expense donation or making an expenditure, of all legal expense donations received and all expenditures made by or on behalf of the le…

(a) The treasurer of each legal expense fund shall file with the Board the following reports: (1) Organizational report. - The report required under G.S. 163-278.309. (2) Quarterly report. - The report required under G.S. 163-278.310. (b) Any report or attachment required by this…

(a) Each appointed treasurer shall file with the Board a statement of organization that includes all of the following: (1) The name, address, and purpose of the legal expense fund. (2) The names, addresses, and relationships of affiliated or connected elected officers, candidates…

The treasurer of each legal expense fund shall be required to file a quarterly report with the State Board containing all of the following: (1) Legal expense donations. - The name and complete mailing address of each donor, the amount of the legal expense donation, the principal …

(a) No entity shall make, and no treasurer shall accept, any monetary legal expense donation in excess of fifty dollars ($50.00) unless such legal expense donation is in the form of a check, draft, money order, credit card charge, debit, or other noncash method that can be subjec…

Any statement required to be filed under this Article shall be signed and certified as true and correct by the individual, media, candidate, treasurer or others required to file it, and shall be certified as true and correct to the best of the knowledge of the individual, media, …

(a) A legal expense fund may be used for reasonable expenses actually incurred by the elected officer in relation to a legal action or potential legal action brought by or against the elected officer in that elected officer's official capacity. The elected officer's campaign itse…

Sections 163-271 through 163-278 shall be applicable to the offices covered by this Article and G.S. 163-271 through 163-278 shall be applicable to all elective offices not covered by this Article. (1973, c. 1272, s. 3; 1975, c. 50; c. 565, s. 10; 2002-159, s. 21(f); 2017-6, s. 3…

(a) Civil Penalties for Late Filing. - Except as provided in G.S. 163-278.9 and G.S. 163-278.9A, all reports, statements or other documents required by this Article to be filed with the Board shall be filed either by manual delivery to or by mail addressed to the Board. Timely fi…

In any proceeding brought pursuant to this Article in which a presumption arises from the proof of certain facts, the defendant may offer some evidence to rebut the presumption, but the State bears the ultimate burden of proving the essential elements of its case. (1999-31, s. 1(…

All reports, records and accounts required by this Article to be made, kept, filed, or maintained by any individual, media, candidate or treasurer shall be preserved and retained by the individual, media, candidate or treasurer for at least two years counting from the date of the…

The county boards of elections shall preserve all reports and statements filed with them pursuant to this Article for such period of time as directed by the State Board. (1979, c. 500, s. 15; 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b).)

The failure to comply with the provisions of this Article shall not invalidate the results of any referendum. (1979, c. 1073, s. 11; 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b).)

As used in this Part: (1) "Advertisement" means any message appearing in the print media, on television, or on radio that constitutes a contribution or expenditure under this Article. (2) "Candidate" means any individual who, with respect to a public office listed in G.S. 163-278…

(a) Basic Requirements. - It shall be unlawful for any sponsor to sponsor an advertisement in the print media or on radio or television that constitutes an expenditure, independent expenditure, electioneering communication, or contribution required to be disclosed under this Arti…