State Board of Elections

Republican registration lags from '04, '00

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:14:56 -0400

Republican voter registration has lagged behind previous election years.

A quick survey of voter registration in North Carolina shows that the number of new GOP voters this year has not increased as much over the past year as it did in the years leading up to the 2000 and 2004 elections.

* From October of 1999 to October of 2000, the number of registered Republicans went from 1,634,983 to 1,765,476 — an eight percent increase.

* From October of 2003 to November of 2004, the number of registered Republicans went from 1,723,633 to 1,903,119 — a 10 percent increase.

* From December of 2007 to this morning, the number of registered Republicans went from 1,919,575 to 1,967,441 — a 2.5 percent increase.

By contrast, the number of Democrats went up four percent in 2000, eight percent in 2004 and 10 percent this year. The number of unaffiliated voters went up 16 percent in 2000 and 2004 and 15 percent this year.

Voter registration will always go up in presidential years, as many voters are only interested in national elections and newcomers often take a while to get into local politics.

But the lag in registration is surely a sign of discontent or disinterest among GOP voters this year.

One caveat: Because of slight differences in the months, the figures are not exactly comparable, but the discrepancy is substantial enough to overcome any minor differences.

Today (sort of) last day to register

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:44:44 -0400

Today is the last day to register to vote in the November election.

Sort of. Though the normal registration process ends today, North Carolinians will still be able to sign up if they go to a one-stop voting site between Oct. 16 and Nov. 1.

They'll have to register and vote at the same time, though, and will not be allowed to vote on Election Day.

As of this morning, the state had 2.8 million registered Democrats, 2 million Republicans, 1.3 million unaffiliated voters and 1,987 Libertarians, for a total of 6 million voters.

In all, that's 467,857 more people than were registered to vote in December — an increase of 8.3 percent.

Unaffiliated voters went up the most, increasing by 14.6 percent in that same time period. Democratic registrations went up 9.8 percent and Republicans 2.5 percent.

Overall, the state favors Democrats, who make up 45 percent of the electorate. Republicans are at 32 percent and unaffiliated voters 22 percent.

N.C. will stop checking SSNs after election

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:40:57 -0400

After this election, North Carolina will stop using Social Security numbers to verify new voters.

On Thursday, The New York Times named the state as one of several using Social Security numbers despite federal laws requiring that the numbers be checked only if no state-issued identification is available.

The Social Security database is plagued with errors which could force some qualified voters to provide additional identification — adding an unnecessary barrier to voting.

The need for more identification could cause confusion Nov. 4, an Election Day expected to bring unprecedented numbers to the polls. State officials say that by Election Day they expect to have registered more than 800,000 new North Carolina voters this year.

About 218,000 were also taken off the rolls, so the net gain would be about 600,000 voters.

Since last October, 400,000 Social Security numbers have been checked, and State Board of Elections Director Gary Bartlett said that typically more than 40 percent are kicked back. (N&O)

GOP group sues over DLCC money

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:33:12 -0400

The Pitt County Republican Party and a voter are suing over Democratic fundraising methods.

In a lawsuit filed this week, the plaintiffs allege that the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is circumventing a law barring corporate money from being used in state campaigns, the Associated Press reports.

"The injunction sought in this lawsuit is essential to the voters in North Carolina if we are to have a fair and honest election conducted on a level playing field," said Kieran Shanahan, the plaintiffs' lawyer said in a news release.

Matt Compton, a spokesman for the DLCC in Washington, said the lawsuit would be dismissed.

"We feel that this is a classic publicity stunt lawsuit," he said. "There's nothing to it."

The GOP and voter Kimberley Hendrix allege that the DLCC accepts corporate contributions and transfers it to the DLCC North Carolina Political Action Committee.

The State Board of Elections is also investigating the PAC.

Document(s):
DLCC-Lawsuit.pdf

Crumley edits law firm ads

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:18:59 -0400

Bob Crumley will no longer appear in ads for his law firm.

The Republican candidate for state attorney general has long had his name and image in ads for Crumley and Associates which air in Greensboro, the Triangle and Charlotte.

One ad, which did not explicitly mention it was for a law firm, raised concerns from open government advocates for lines such as "People helping people, that's part of our North Carolina heritage. For Bob Crumley, it's been his life."

Crumley argued the ads didn't violate campaign finance laws, but pulled the ads to avoid a fight with election officials.

"I have bigger fish to fry right now," Crumley said, adding, "I think the position the (state) board of elections is taking is designed to affect a particular candidate and that candidate is me."

He vowed to fight the issue after the campaign ends. (GN-R)

Most Read: Campaign season

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:01:54 -0400

Campaign season is kicking into high gear.

Among the most read posts on the Dome blog this week were items about the race for governor and president, though the top spot was an oldie.

1. DVD Return: An item from last week about N&O subscribers receiving a DVD about "radical Islam" continued to get hits thanks to comments both pro and con.

2. Quo Status: A fact-check finds an ad accusing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue of pushing the "status quo" button inaccurate. It really pushes her buttons.

3. Michelle, My Belle: The wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama visits Greensboro and Charlotte. We're officially a battleground state now, folks.

4. It's Pat: Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory has an eight-point lead in a new poll, but some find its numbers suspicious. They overrepresented Scots-Irish, we hear.

5. Report Card: A national reform group gives North Carolina a B-minus for its campaign finance disclosure laws. With all this running, the candidates did well in gym, though.

N.C. gets B-minus on campaign disclosure

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:45:50 -0400

North Carolina received a B-minus on campaign finance disclosure.

In a regular report card by the Campaign Disclosure Project, the state Board of Elections received higher marks on campaign finance laws and accessibility of its Web site. Last year, the state received a C-plus, and in 2003 it received a D-plus.

The state was graded well for requiring detailed information about contributors of more than $50, including occupation and employer data, as well as vendors used by candidates.

However, it received lower marks for its electronic filing program, which is required of statewide candidates who raise $5,000 or more but not legislative candidates.

A redesign of the Board of Elections Web site was praised.

"The site offers a fair amount of contextual information, such as detailed candidate lists and a thorough campaign finance manual explaining the state’s disclosure requirements and contribution limits," the group wrote.

North Carolina was ranked 23 of U.S. states.

Sinsheimer: Indictments will continue

DavidIngram — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:13:40 -0400

Joe Sinsheimer says more change is needed at the General Assembly.

The former Democratic campaign consultant released a statement Wednesday on the conviction of former state Rep. Thomas Wright. Sinsheimer filed the initial complaint against the Wilmington Democrat in December 2006 with the State Board of Elections.

Here's his statement:

Thomas Wright's latest felony conviction is a sad end to a once promising political career.
Wright seems to have been undone by the same toxic combination of arrogance, hubris and greed that led to the downfall of former Speaker Jim Black. The indictments and convictions will continue until either the leadership of the General Assembly decides to change the culture of the institution or voters adopt a 'throw-the-bums-out' mentality.
Neither seems imminent, although both would be welcome.

Several lawmakers are subjects of ongoing investigations. The State Board of Elections is investigating a complaint about Sen. Julia Boseman, a Wilmington Democrat, and it has been reviewing the campaign finances of several Mecklenburg County Democrats in response to an investigation by The Charlotte Observer.

The House of Representatives voted in March to expel Wright from office, the first expulsion since the 19th century.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated whether any lawmakers are under investigation.

Elections official: Wright cashed check

bniolet — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:38:10 -0400

A Wake County jury heard evidence Tuesday that former state Rep. Thomas Wright secretly transferred tens of thousands of dollars from his campaign accounts to himself over several years.

Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby introduced into evidence several charts detailing the Wilmington Democrat's campaign transactions, David Ingram reports.

One chart showed that 91 percent of the transfers Wright made to himself were not disclosed on campaign finance reports. Wright is charged with obstruction of justice for what prosecutors say was his failure to disclose more than $100,000 in campaign contributions.

Kim Strach, deputy director of the State Board of Elections, testified that in one case Wright simply cashed a check from a political action committee for himself. She added that he has yet to file any amendments to his campaign finance reports.

Under from cross examination by Wright's attorney, Doug Harris of Greensboro, Strach agreed that Wright did not take any steps to obstruct her investigation other than once providing an incorrect name for his campaign treasurer.

Harris told the jury in his opening statement that Wright's behavior doesn't fit the charge.

In April, a jury convicted Wright in Wake Superior Court on three separate charges related to financial improprieties. He is due to be released in May 2015, though a conviction for obstruction of justice could add at least four months to his sentence.

El Pueblo plans Hispanic voter outreach

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:37:52 -0400

El Pueblo plans to reach out to Hispanic voters.

The longtime Latino advocacy group is one of 25 groups around the country to receive a grant from the National Council of La Raza for voter outreach ahead of the Nov. 4 elections.

"This type of outreach is critical to increasing the influence and strength of this underserved population in this year's, and future, elections," said advocacy director Irene Godinez in a statement. "Our goal is to make sure that everyone in our community who is eligible acts, participates, and votes."

El Pueblo is training young workers on registration drives and plans outreach efforts in the coming months, including at La Fiesta del Pueblo on Sept. 6-7 at the N.C. State Fairgrounds.

According to the State Board of Elections, slighty less than 1 percent of registered voters were listed as Hispanic as of Aug. 9, although Hispanics made up 6.7 percent of the population in the 2006 Census.