WRAL:

Recently published guidance will pave the way for advocacy groups to more closely work with official campaign committees of candidates running for office in North Carolina.

An advisory letter issued by State Board of Elections Director Kim Strach says that her agency had no latitude to regulate organizations that mail, publish or broadcast “issue ads,” which often look like, and for all practical purposes are, campaign ads. Groups that avoid “express advocacy” and don’t trip certain thresholds on the election calendar may remain unregulated and are free to exchange certain types of information with candidates.