Question: Can a candidate speak at a church, two weeks before an election?

[CanonRay]

or does this violate IRS guidelines on church's not endorsing candidates. My friend is running for a state senate seat, and her teabagger opponent is speaking at a revival at a church two weeks before the vote.

Any thoughts?

[elleng]

1. Good question, and probably NO, candidate cannot so speak,

unless ALL do, as permitting/sponsoring such speech would likely be considered endorsement. Church may, of course, decide it will risk losing its tax-exempt status.

[Bitwit1234]

8. The IRS has quite a few complains and has yet

to pull the tax free status of any of these churches.

[pinboy3niner]

2. It's very common, for candidates of both parties

I was once assigned, as a volunteer in the Kerry campaign, to work an event where he spoke to a Baptist Church congregation. This happens all the time.

[PoliticAverse]

3. Yes, Obama has spoken at churches during a campaign

And so did many other candidates...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/15/obamas-fathers-day-speech_n_107220.html

Here is a link to discussion and guidelines on political activity allowed to tax-exempt churches:

http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=155030,00.html

[RandomThoughts]

4. It is an interesting topic.

Should people require a tax deduction to donate?

However society, and government by proxy of the people, could say they think charitable giving should get a tax credit. (That assumes the government is a proxy of the people.)

The offer to donate to a church or group is one thing.

The getting of a tax deduction is another.

One is someones decision to support something they think is a good thing to do, the other is society making rules about rewarding people that give to what the state calls a charity. They are different things.

In the first part, a person could give with or without a tax deduction, so if a church thinks rules by state about those issues are wrong, they should happily give up charity status.

And to get a state charity status, then they submit to societal thought on what qualifies as a charity.

In theory a society should have a just way to decide that, but not all societies would for every type of thought. And if it is not just, then when one group has status, and not another, then a suit could happen. For the concept of equal protection of beliefs in faith, and judges would decide in the US system how that works out for issues of taxation.


Or quote the verse in the bible that says people should pay their taxes, but that would not go over very well in some churches. Even though they quote the verse about being subject to governmental authorities when they like what is done by those people in office.



The mechanics of the question are not hard to figure out.

[rpannier]

5. Candidates do it all the time

I'm guessing they didn't send one to your friend

[CanonRay]

6. You guess right

Rethugs here really don't need to canvass; they just use the churches.

[Obamanaut]

7. Suggest to 'your friend' that he or she should offer to speak at the

same revival.

If this person is a non-religious type, then a simple motivational, non denominational presentation could be made, but still gets the same public exposure to the same group of people.

[JamesA1102]

9. I would say no nt

[TreasonousBastard]

10. Check out those links PoliticAverse gives a few posts up-- specifically...

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/2008_paci_party_letter.pdf

which says a candidate may speak at a church if the church does not endorse the candidate, other candidates are offered the same opportunity to speak, and there is no campaign fundraising.

[CanonRay]

11. Thanks, I forwarded this on to the candidate!