Today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a complaint against Minnesota Voters Alliance with the Minnesota Attorney General for violations of state disclosure laws. The complaint asks the Attorney General to investigate Minnesota Voters Alliance for violating Minnesota Statutes by raising over $25,000 without registering as a charitable organization with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
“It is ironic that Minnesota Voters Alliance portrays itself as an advocacy organization for voter integrity, yet it appears to lack integrity in its fundraising efforts by failing to follow the law and register as a charitable organization,” said Chuck Samuelson, Executive Director of the ACLU-MN.
Minnesota Voters Alliance, a voter suppression proponent and alleged 501 (c4) charitable organization began fundraising in 2011. On November 10, 2011, MVA told supporters in an emailed solicitation that it had raised $27,000 and asked for additional donor help to reach $45,000 for an elections lawsuit. Over a year later, MVA again solicited potential donors on January 19, 2012. On February 28, 2012, MVA’s attorneys filed a case against the State to end Election Day Registration. There is no record of MVA’s registration with the Minnesota Attorney’s General Office during this period of revenue solicitation.
Minnesota’s charitable organization laws contain safeguards to ensure clean, honest charitable fundraising activity. Central to these protections is the requirement that charities which raise $25,000 or more must file with the Minnesota Attorney General to protect against fundraising scams. If the organization does not file prior to raising money, they must file within 30 days after $25,000 has been raised. To date, MVA has still not filed any paperwork with the Minnesota Attorney General.
Because they have not filed, very little information is publicly available about the Minnesota Voter Alliance, including if they have a formal board of directors, who sits on the board of directors and how MVA uses its fundraising donations. To properly follow Minnesota statutes, every group that files with the Attorney General’s Office must include information on its Board, group or individuals having final discretion as to the distribution and use of contributions received.
“The secrecy around Minnesota Voters Alliance is troubling and our hope is that the Attorney General’s Office will fast track this complaint,” said Samuelson.