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Group Asks IRS To Invetigate Church's Online Endorsement of Candidate

By Howard M. Friedman

Americans United this week wrote the Internal Revenue Service (full text of letter) asking it to investigate a Los Angeles church that endorsed a Neighborhood City Council candidate through postings on the church's website and through Twitter. According to AU (press release), Oasis Church used its website to ask its members to vote in the May 13 Greater Wilshire Neighborhood City Council elections for Alex Jones-Moreno, the church's director of social justice, who was running for reelection. On election day, the church sent out eight tweets on Twitter, most of which urged readers to vote for Jones-Moreno. Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, non-profits are prohibited from participating in any political campaign on behalf of a candidate for elective publid office.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on May 21, 2010 (boomark / email).