Nonprofits and Voter Mobilization

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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IRS Phone Forum on Issue Advocacy Rules for Exempt Organizations

Jun 11, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) held a phone forum on the role tax exempt organizations can play in the electoral process, addressing issues of political activity, lobbying and issue advocacy. 501(c)(3) organizations can educate voters, register voters, and encourage higher voter turnout, as long as the activity is carried out in an unbiased way. According to BNA Money and Politics ($$), the IRS is concentrating on issue advocacy because it is increasingly finding situations that are not covered under the precedential guidance in Revenue Ruling 2007-41.

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Voter ID Initiatives Averted

May 20, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Voting rights advocates are cheering for now in Missouri and in Kansas. Thanks in part to grassroots groups, the legislative session in Missouri ended without completing action on the proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed election officials to require proof of citizenship from people registering to vote. In Kansas, Governor Kathleen Sebelius vetoed the bill that would have required voters to show photo identification. Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing today (May 20th), titled "Protecting the Constitutional Right to Vote for All Americans".

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Advocates Call for Universal Affordable High Speed Internet

May 19, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Millions of Americans, especially in rural and low-income urban areas don't have high speed Internet access. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is running a public policy and awareness campaign, Speed Matters, advocating for a national high speed network. Last year OMB Watch helped spread the word about the Speed Matters project. Speed Matters used thousands of online speed tests from regular Americans across the country to develop a state-by-state report on Internet connection speed.

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Forum on Rules for Tax-Exempt Organizations during an Election Year

May 14, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will be holding a free phone forum on Rules for Tax-Exempt Organizations During An Election Year. The Forum is scheduled for June 9, 2008, and will be repeated the following day. Space is limited and will be reserved on a first-come basis, and organizations may register as a group. According to the IRS, the forum will discuss the distinctions between political activity, lobbying and general advocacy, and which activities are permissible by 501(c)(3) charities, 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, 501(c)(5), 501(c)(6), and 527 political organizations.

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IRS May Consider Project to Monitor Political Activity of 501(c)(4)s

May 13, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

BNA Money and Politics ($$) reports that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is considering a project to look at 501(c)(4) organizations. During the American Bar Association Section of Taxation conference session on election issues for tax-exempt organizations, Judith Kindell, a tax law specialist in IRS's rulings and agreements section, addressed the issue of 501(c)(4)s.

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Young Adults Voting at Record Levels this Primary Season

May 13, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

According to Rock the Vote, more than six million voters under 30 have cast ballots in the 2008 primaries and caucuses so far. A very conservative estimate is that this more than 2.2 million more than voted in the most recent comparable primaries. To learn more, check out Rock the Vote's recently updated 2008 Primary Turnout Factsheet.

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Missouri Lawmakers Want to Require Proof of Citizenship to Vote

May 12, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

According to a May 12, 2008 story in the New York Times— Voter ID Battle Shifts to Proof of Citizenship — lawmakers in Missouri are expected to support a constitutional amendment that would enable election officials to require proof of citizenship to register as a voter in the state. Sponsors of the amendment — which requires the approval of voters to go into effect— argue that it is necessary to prevent illegal immigrants from voting.

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Supreme Court Voter ID Consequences

May 9, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Indiana's primary was Tuesday May 6 and news reports detailed accounts of nuns and students who were unable to vote. The effects of the Supreme Court decision were also felt outside of Indiana in various state legislatures. In Kansas, lawmakers approved a voter ID measure similar to Indiana's law. It would not go into effect until 2010, and some expect a veto from Governor Kathleen Sebelius. And in Missouri under a proposed constitutional amendment, voters could decide whether to enact a similar photo ID requirement for voting.

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Parts of North Carolina's Campaign Finance Law Ruled Unconstitutional

May 6, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

On May 1, 2008, in a 2-1 decision the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled a North Carolina law prohibiting political action committees from accepting individual contributions of more than $4,000 to be unconstitutional.

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New Form 990 Requests More Information on Political Activities

May 2, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

An article in BNA Money and Politics ($$) reports that the new Form 990 requires organizations to provide more information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on their political activities. Referencing a recent court decision that determined that the IRS should not have revoked the tax exempt status of a 501(c)(4), Craig Engle of the law firm Arent Fox, commented that the "IRS has a mixed record in being able to back up its efforts in court. . . . [the decision] might encourage similar [501(c)(4)]groups to increase their political involvement."

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