Staff ReportsThe Capital Research Center dropped a 64‑page report this week that should make every voter sit up. CRC says roughly $638.7 million flowed through 83 tax‑exempt voter‑registration and get‑out‑the‑vote charities during the 2024 election cycle. The group calls it a left‑wing “vote machine” running inside the charitable sector — a system that, if true, turns tax‑deductible giving and nonprofit status into a political advantage for one party. That’s not charity. It’s politics by another name.
What the CRC report actually found
CRC traced the money using Impala records and IRS Form 990 filings and concluded these 83 501(c)(3) organizations spent about $638.7 million on voter‑registration and GOTV work in 2024. The group says that is a big jump from 2020 — about 30 percent higher nominally, roughly 10 percent higher after inflation — even as PAC spending fell. CRC names networks and donors tied to the effort, from fiscal‑sponsorship funds once linked to Arabella Advisors to big‑ticket philanthropists such as Hansjörg Wyss and initiatives like “All by April” backed by Pierre Omidyar’s Democracy Fund. The report also highlights concrete problems: canvassing firms paid by those groups were tied to criminal charges in Pennsylvania, a major registration project funneled grants to other nonprofits, and some organizations faced fines or scrutiny over campaign‑style activity.
Why this should worry voters
Loopholes, secrecy, and the thin line between outreach and politics
Federal tax law allows charities to do nonpartisan voter registration and education. That’s reasonable — Americans should register and vote. But CRC’s report argues these rules have been stretched into a partisan advantage. 501(c)(3) groups don’t have the same donor‑disclosure rules as PACs, so big money can be funneled through “charities” with less public transparency. CRC itself warns its totals could overcount because charities sometimes grant to one another, but even with that caveat the scale is large enough to demand scrutiny. If nonprofit status is being used to subsidize partisan campaigns, Congress and the IRS need to step in and stop the game.
Time for action — and not just more press releases
Conservatives should not shrug and wait for the next election. CRC’s president Scott Walter urged Congress, the IRS, and state charity regulators to investigate — and that’s the right call. Start by demanding the CRC dataset and grilling the 83 named organizations under oath: show us the grants, the targeting criteria, and the contractor invoices. Tighten the rules so charities can’t act like secret PACs, and require better disclosure for voter‑engagement spending. If Democrats want to use nonprofits to reshape electoral outcomes, that tactic deserves the same light of day we demand when a union or super PAC spends big. Charities are for soup kitchens and shelters, not shadow campaigns.
Bottom line
The CRC report puts a spotlight on how big money can move through tax‑exempt charities to influence elections. Whether every dollar was illicit or every tactic unlawful is for investigators to decide. But the report raises real questions about fairness, transparency, and the enforcement of rules meant to separate charity from campaign. Lawmakers should treat this like the national integrity issue it is — because “nonpartisan” shouldn’t be a cloak for partisan advantage. If the charitable sector wants to keep its tax perks, it also has to keep its hands clean of full‑time politics.
