posted 10-07-2003 05:10 PM
Anti-Bush forces scope out battlefields
BOB DART
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
WASHINGTON—A self-described "non-partisan" organization dedicated to "kicking George Bush out of the White House" announced plans yesterday to register and mobilize Hispanic, women and African American voters in 16 "battleground" states.
The organizers described a "technology driven" grassroots campaign that will contact voters many times during the coming months by means ranging from e-mail and Palm Pilots to door-to-door canvassing and neighbourhood gatherings.
The $25 million (U.S.) campaign will not be limited to the target states, however — the group will work throughout the South, said Gerald McEntee, chair of Voices for Working Families. Funded largely by organized labour, the organization exemplifies how Democratic and Republican activists are turning to outside tax-exempt "non-partisan" nonprofits in the first national election since the enactment of sweeping campaign finance reforms.
Under the new U.S. campaign finance law, the national Republican and Democratic parties are forbidden to accept large "soft money" donations. But tax-exempt groups such as Voices for Working Families, known as "527 committees" for the section of tax law that authorizes them, can still collect unlimited contributions, run television ads, conduct polls or send out mass mailings to promote their political views and mobilize voters. Their tax-exempt status means that major donors can give large amounts without paying federal gift taxes.
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posted 10-07-2003 05:10 PM
