Nonpartisan? True the Vote gave $5,000 to Republican State Leadership Committee

Posted by on in , , , , ,

Print Friendly Version of this pagePrint Get a PDF version of this webpagePDF

From Institute for Southern Studies:

In recent weeks, Texas-based True the Vote has been subjected to growing scrutiny for its efforts to mobilize poll watchdogs across the nation this November. While the group says it wants to combat voter fraud, critics argue the effort’s real aim is to intimidate Democratic voters.

Amidst the media coverage and controversy, True the Vote and its leader, Catherine Engelbrecht, have been vehement on one point: True the Vote is “nonpartisan.”

In a recent New York Times story, Engelbrecht insisted the group’s work had no partisan political aims: “It is not about party or politics; it is about principle.” In its press releases, True the Vote describes itself as a “nonpartisan election integrity organization.”

The bottom of the group’s donation page also claims that “True the Vote is a non-profit corporation pending 501(c)(3) determination under the Internal Revenue Code.” The IRS expressly prohibits 501(c)(3) organizations from engaging in political activity.

But in August 2012, True the Vote gave money to a group with unquestionably partisan goals: the Republican State Leadership Committee.

According to the committee’s IRS tax filings, on August 17, 2012, True the Vote contributed $5,000 to the RSLC. Here is a pdf of the RSLC’s August IRS report; below is a screenshot of the contribution record:

(18)