The State Board of Elections conducted public hearings in response to a formal complaint filed by Democracy North Carolina in June 2004 alleging illegal campaign activity by contributors to House Speaker Jim Black’s political campaigns. The special Carolina Journal Online Web site, “Who’s Who at the Board of Elections Hearings,” has been updated to reflect the latest activity.
The hearings took place in February and March in Raleigh. Democracy North Carolina is a nonpartisan watchdog organization committed to a range of campaign-finance reforms that include improving disclosure of the flow of political money. The complaint focused on contributions from people with ties to the video poker industry. After the complaint was filed, an investigation by the board’s staff also revealed that several donations to Black from optometrists and their political action committee appeared to violate campaign finance laws.
At least 60 persons received subpoenas to bring records and appear in person to answer questions. At the conclusion of the hearings the board voted to ask the Wake County District Attorney to investigate whether Black and several contributors had violated campaign finance laws.
The original complaint included the following:
“This complaint is based on research into more than $100,000 in campaign contributions given during the 2002 election cycle by donors with ties to the video-poker industry. The donors include amusement machine distributors, as well as the owners of truck stops, strip clubs, pool halls, convenience stores, bars, and ‘gift stores’ that are basically video-poker game rooms.
“Our research shows that many of these contributions came from donors who have been cited, sometimes repeatedly, for engaging in various illegal gambling practices or whose illegal operations caused law enforcement officials to seize their poker machines. Other contributions came from donors who say they were unaware that a relative or friend in the video-poker business apparently made a political donation in their name.
“And others came from donors who admit they were paid or reimbursed for making a political donation to help an associate in the video-poker industry.”
Don Carrington is executive editor of Carolina Journal.