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Advocacy Blog
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Yes, the NAACP Still Can't Endorse Candidates
 The Baltimore Sun has highlighted the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the fact that it is not allowed to engage in partisan politics, not surprising, as all 501(c)(3) organizations are prohibited from doing so. "Individually, many NAACP members have lauded Obama's nomination as a victory for racial progress. But they also say the organization continues to tread a delicate path, careful not to give the appearance of partisanship, especially since it has been accused of being too political in the past." A month before Election Day 2004, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) initiated an audit of the NAACP's tax-exempt status because of a speech Julian Bond made criticizing the Bush administration. After two years, the investigation was dropped.
"In an election year, criticism of nonprofits typically increases, as does IRS scrutiny," said Gary Bass, executive director of OMB Watch, a nonprofit watchdog organization in Washington. [. . .] "I would say that the IRS has increased scrutiny the last election cycles, in part because of the gamesmanship that goes on - one side constantly filing petitions against the other side," Bass said. He thinks IRS rules are ambiguous. Any objection or complaint triggers an inquiry, which may or may not lead to a full-scale audit. "For groups who talk about critical policy issues, it then means that they are left with uncertainty as to what they can and cannot do," Bass said.
For more information on this topic, see our resource center, IRS Rules on Election Activities of Charities
Posted by Amanda Adams
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