Hi there Democracy Advocates!

We have some breaking news that we want to share with you.

CMD has just filed a whistleblower complaint with the IRS against the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which is illegally providing its state legislative members with sophisticated voter management and campaign software deeply tied to the Republican Party and worth more than $6 million per election cycle.

In the complaint, we detail ALEC’s extensive and ongoing violations of its 501(c)(3) charitable tax-status, which prohibits engaging in any electoral activity, based on information gathered from ALEC’s legislative members and other documents we obtained through investigations and open records requests.

If the IRS finds that ALEC broke the law it could revoke the group’s nonprofit status, which would be a financial blow to the pay-to-play trade group, which brings together state lawmakers and corporate lobbyists to write model legislation that favors big business at the expense of working people and the environment.

CMD Files IRS Whistleblower Complaint Against ALEC for Illegal In-Kind Campaign Contributions Worth More Than $6 Million

CMD and Common Cause will also file campaign finance complaints against ALEC in 15 states for providing sophisticated voter management and campaign software linked to the RNC to its 2,000-plus legislative members.

The Center for Media and Democracy is working to file campaign finance complaints in 15 states. Please donate now to help CMD expose ALEC's illegal campaign contributions!

If you'd prefer to donate by check, please mail it to:

Center for Media and Democracy
P.O. Box 259010
Madison, WI 53725-9010

Associated Press Covers CMD Complaint

The AP reported on our whistleblower complaint today. Read the story.

“What the complaints show is that ALEC is a partisan organization at heart, dedicated to promoting Republican policies and supporting elected officials who will implement those policies,” said Arn Pearson, the center’s executive director.

Numerous outlets, including ABC News and The Washington Post, ran the AP story.

Others, including Newsweek, wrote up their own stories about the complaint.

More Coverage of ALEC from CMD

ALEC Politicians Belong to Neo-Confederate Organization

CMD has identified six state lawmakers affiliated with ALEC who were recently active members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

ALEC Lawmakers Eye Arizona-Style Election Audits in Other States

ALEC lawmakers are hoping to copy and paste the controversial Arizona “audit” of the 2020 November presidential election just like they do model legislation from the corporate bill mill.

Thank you for keeping up with our investigative reporting. We appreciate your support as we expose the most nefarious groups and funders in the United States.

Arn Pearson, Executive Director

CMD is a 501(c)(3) national watchdog and media group that conducts in-depth investigations into corruption and the undue influence of corporations on media and democracy. Our work is regularly cited by news outlets, policymakers, and grassroots activists working to build a more sustainable future and just society. CMD is reader-supported. Please make your tax-deductible donation today. Thank you!

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Center for Media and Democracy
P.O. Box 259010 | Madison, Wisconsin 53725-9010
608-260-9713 | editor@prwatch.org

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