A complaint was filed on Monday by Restoring Integrity and Trust In Elections (RITE) with the North Carolina State Board of Elections, accusing multiple left-wing nonprofits of violating North Carolina law. The complaint alleges that the Voter Participation Center (VPC), Center for Voter Information (CVI), and Rock the Vote (RTV) unlawfully collected and retained important voter information. According to the complaint, VPC and CVI sent registration forms to voters through mail with QR codes that redirected to RTV’s online registration portal, which is hosted on VPC and CVI’s websites.
Despite being portrayed as nonpartisan, CVI and its sister organization VPC were established by former Democratic operative Page Gardner, who was involved in former President Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign and other left-wing initiatives, as reported by multiple sources. Both organizations played a role in the 2020 elections and faced accusations from Fairfax County for sending out pre-filled absentee ballot applications with incorrect information, as well as voter registration mailers that could be mistaken for government documents.
On the other hand, RTV, which also claims to be “nonpartisan,” was founded in 1990 by music industry executives to encourage youth voting in response to the “censorship of hip-hop and rap artists.” The organization partnered with Music Television (MTV) and has advocated for various left-of-center policy initiatives, such as the abolition of the electoral college in 2019 and healthcare-for-all in 2009.
“There’s an element of trust, you expect these organizations to be compliant with the law,” President and CEO of RITE Derek Lyons told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “There’s a certain unknown to how the information is being used behind the scenes, for things like messaging and turnout. We’re not trying to shut down their operation with this complaint, they can register voters, but we think they should be doing it in compliance with the law.”
According to the 2022 IRS filings, VPC allocated $31,388,915 towards “voter registration and voter mobilization” through mail and internet channels, with a specific focus on engaging “people of color and young people.” In contrast, CVI directed $17,737,860 in 2022 towards the “new American majority,” which encompasses “unmarried women, people of color,” and young individuals. RTV, on the other hand, invested $2,313,279 in “voter education,” primarily aiming to reach out to the younger demographic, as stated in its 2022 IRS filing.
