1 year later: FEC to crack down on 'fake' candidates
One year after parody presidential candidate Deez Nuts went viral for making a surprise appearance in a North Carolina political poll, Politico says the Federal Elections Commission is cracking down.
The FEC wants to discourage political candidates like "Deez Nuts," who recently polled higher than Green Party candidate Jill Stein in Texas. Read PPP's survey here.
Other questionable candidates include "Butt Stuff," "Master Alexander Soy Sauce," and "Limberbutt McCubbins," who is a cat.
"The Commission has authorized staff to send verification letters to filers listing fictional characters, obscene language, sexual references, celebrities (where there is no indication that the named celebrity submitted the filing), animals, or similarly implausible entries as the name or contact information of the candidate or committee," the FEC said in a statement Thursday.
The FEC will begin sending letters to dubious candidates, in order to verify their identity and inform them of potential penalties.
Last year, a PPP poll revealed independent candidate "Deez Nuts" was polling at 9 percent in North Carolina.
Following ABC11's Deez Nuts report, the candidate went viral, sparking posts from Buzzfeed to National Geographic.
ABC11 asks "Is this for real?" and sits down with the poll's director
