Connecticut drawn into fight over conservative ALEC's tax-exempt status [View all]
Connecticut is one of 15 states where campaign finance complaints were filed against the American Legislative Exchange Council this week, alleging that the conservative non-profit group was illegally distributing software to Republican lawmakers.
Common Cause and the Center for Media and Democracy allege that ALEC, as the council is known, made unreported in-kind contributions to its members in 2020 by giving away campaign software worth $3,000 a copy, violating state campaign laws and federal laws prohibiting partisan activity. The voter-management software compiles and collates voter history and information and helps the coordination of campaign efforts. Many campaigns use such software.
The complaints by two groups that fashion themselves as campaign-finance watchdogs are the latest elements of a decade-long fight with ALEC over its secrecy and whether it abuses its tax-exempt status by lobbying and helping to elect state lawmakers. They also have asked the IRS to investigate.
“The state needs to know who is supporting their elected officials or the people who are interested in contributing to those elected officials,” said Cheri Quickmire, the executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut.
Read more: https://ctmirror.org/2021/07/29/connecticut-drawn-into-fight-over-conservative-alecs-tax-exempt-status/
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