U.S. Senator Tom Cotton to Werfel: Partisan Voter Registration Drives Violate Federal Law

Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today wrote a letter to the Internal Revenue Service Commissioner, Danny Werfel urging an investigation into the Voter Participation Center’s alleged partisan activities. This charity is targeting likely Democrat voters while excluding likely Republican voters through its voter-registration ads on social media. The IRS prohibits 501(c)(3) organizations from conducting partisan voter-education or voter-registration activities.

In part, Senator Cotton wrote:

Wikimedia Image

“According to the Washington Free Beacon, the Voter Participation Center is targeting likely Democrat voters and excluding likely Republican voters through its voter-registration ads on social media. The Voter Participation Center has instructed Facebook to exclude users from seeing ads if they expressed interest in ‘John Wayne,’ ‘Redneck Mud Club,’ ‘Daytona 500,’ ‘Duck Dynasty,’ and other topics associated with conservatives. On the other hand, the group instructed Facebook to target users interested in ‘hot yoga,’ ‘Charli XCX’ (who is closely associated with Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign), ‘Pitchfork Media,’ and other topics that tend to interest progressives.”

Full text of the letter may be found here and below.

October 3, 2024

The Honorable Danny Werfel

Commissioner

Internal Revenue Service

1111 Constitution Avenue, Northwest

Washington, DC 20224

Dear Commissioner Werfel,

I write regarding a tax-exempt charity that may be violating federal law. The Voter Participation Center is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that reportedly engages in partisan voter-registration drives.

The IRS prohibits 501(c)(3) organizations from conducting partisan voter-education or voter -registration activities. The IRS states that a 501(c)(3) organization may only conduct voter-registration drives “if they are conducted in a neutral, non-partisan manner.” It further warns that a private foundation is subject to a tax if it uses funds for partisan voter-registration drives.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the Voter Participation Center is targeting likely Democrat voters and excluding likely Republican voters through its voter-registration ads on social media. The Voter Participation Center has instructed Facebook to exclude users from seeing ads if they expressed interest in “John Wayne,” “Redneck Mud Club,” “Daytona 500,” “Duck Dynasty,” and other topics associated with conservatives. On the other hand, the group instructed Facebook to target users interested in “hot yoga,” “Charli XCX” (who is closely associated with Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign), “Pitchfork Media,” and other topics that tend to interest progressives.

The Voter Participation Center has spent over a million dollars on this ad drive. It has also paid over $50 million to Democrat micro-targeting firms. According to 26 U.S. Code § 4945(d)(2), these partisan expenditures must be taxed.

The IRS should immediately open an investigation into this organization.

Sincerely,

Tom Cotton

U.S. Senator 

Kamala Harris tells Democrats: ‘I see a nation that is ready to move forward’

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Vice President Kamala Harris accepted her party’s nomination for President Thursday night (Aug. 22), while laying out a stark contrast between herself and her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.

In accepting the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Harris made history as the first woman of color to lead her party for President.

“On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination to be the President of the United States of America,” Harris said.

Kamala Harris tells Democrats: ‘I see a nation that is ready to move forward’

Representative French Hill responds to Harris' outrageous economic plan

LITTLE ROCK, AR - Rep. French Hill (AR-02) released the following statement in response to Kamala Harris' catastrophic plan she laid out for our economy, including housing proposals.

Kamala Harris (Wikimedia Image)

“Kamala Harris claims her economic agenda represents the ‘future’ and a ‘new path forward,’ but, in fact, her proposals are old, failed economically illiterate duds like price controls we’ve seen from President Nixon to President Biden. Her economic vision is just warmed up Biden leftovers. 

“Instead of freezing prices and blaming corporations for inflation caused by Bidenomics and Kamala Harris herself, let’s instead unleash the American economy in a way that bolsters a dominant ‘all of the above’ energy strategy; cuts regulatory burdens at the local, state, and federal levels to unleash American productivity and innovation; and maintains and enhances tax policies for families and small businesses.

“Regarding housing specifically, our nation already has significant existing state and federal incentives for first time homebuyers to obtain down payment assistance and attractive mortgage terms. What’s really crushing our first time buyers - and all other American families - is the punishing impact of the Biden-Harris inflation, which has nearly doubled mortgage interest rates since they took office. Higher rates mean higher mortgage payments and tougher down payments making the reality of achieving homeownership much more difficult. Harris’ mandates and price controls are going to make housing more expensive – not less.

“It’s well past time we return economic sanity to our nation by implementing policies that we know work instead of following ones that we know don’t. The American people have suffered for far too long and deserve financial security in their everyday lives.”