Presidential Election Already Bringing Complaints About Politicking

The Internal Revenue Service is still investigating hundreds of possible violations about charities that were improperly attempting to influence voters during the 2006 election cycle.

And it doesn’t look like the tax agency will get a break for the 2008 Presidential election.

Paul L. Caron, professor of law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, writes on TaxProf that the agency is already getting complaints about recent comments by the Florida evangelist Bill Keller, the leader of Bill Keller Ministries.

The nonprofit advocacy group Americans United For Separation of Church and State says Mr. Keller’s organization should be stripped of its charitable status as a result of remarks the evangelist made about the candidacy of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

“Having Romney as president is no different than having a Muslim or Scientologist as president,” the organization quotes Mr. Keller as saying during a recent Internet statement to followers. “Please, don’t tell me that Mitt Romney is the best option. I’ll stay home and not vote before I will vote for Satan, since if you vote for Romney you are voting for Satan.”

Mr. Caron writes that it appears the statement violates federal law.

But Mr. Keller sees no problem with the remarks.

“Let them come after me for making a spiritual statement about Mitt Romney,” Mr. Keller told The Washington Post. I would love that,” he said. “Bring it on.”

Should charity leaders be allowed to make statements about political candidates that could be seen as partisan?

For more on this topic also read this opinion article, Charities Must Challenge Politicians, from the latest issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy.