WASHINGTON --Â The Alaska attorney general is now examining whether former reporter Charlo Greene's crowd-funded support for a cannabis ballot measure violated state election laws.
Greene used IndieGoGo last year to raise funds in support of the initiative that legalized recreational marijuana use in Alaska.
If any of her crowdsourced donations exceeded $100, she would have been required to report certain details, including the donors' names and addresses, to the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
The commission subpoenaed Greene last fall, requesting documentation to determine whether she had violated the disclosure requirements. Greene did not comply with the subpoena and to date has not provided any documentation, according to Paul Dauphinais, executive director of the commission.
Greene's case is being watched outside Alaska because the former television reporter gained a degree of notoriety last fall when she declared on air, "F*** it, I quit!" She went on to say she would put her efforts into the Alaska Cannabis Club, which she runs.
Alaska, like most states, specifies a donation threshold that triggers a reporting requirement. In the 49th state, fundraisers are required to maintain a list of contributors who donate more than $100 "for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election."
Those lists must include the contributors' names, addresses, principal occupations, employers, and amounts donated with corresponding dates. Other sections of Alaska election law provide special limits for out-of-state contributions.The full text of the statute can be accessed here.
Dauphinais said the documents requested would indicate whether Greene complied with its disclosure laws.
"We're not accusing her of anything," he said. "There is no complaint lodged against her. We're just trying to ascertain whether she was operating within the lines, and if not, we want to to help her be compliant with the law. She may have the information–we just don't know."
The commission sent the matter over to Alaska's attorney general's office, which can bring it before the state judiciary for judicial enforcement. Dauphinais said he could not comment further on the issue.
Greene's legal name is Charlene Egbe. She could not be reached for comment.
Crowdsourcing dollars for political candidates or causes may cause headaches for fundraisers because many states have different rules for out-of-state donations, which certainly are possible in Web-based campaigns.
Crowdfunding sites usually allow donors to make anonymous contributions, and donations over each state's reporting threshold cannot be used in support of political campaigns.
