I am a believer in spirituality and it's importance in human lives. However; once that apolitical line is crossed the tax advantages offered to places of worship should be revoked. When you venture into the business of influencing voters you are now a taxable business.
Re: Complaint Regarding Potential Violation of 501(c)(3) Rules by St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Sequim, Washington
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am writing to report suspected prohibited political campaign intervention by St. Luke's Episcopal Church, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization located at 525 N. 5th Avenue, Sequim, WA 98382.
On February 7, 2026, the church provided its facilities as the venue for an event organized by Indivisible Sequim titled "It's 2026 Tsunami Time | 2026 Blue Tsunami." The event's stated purpose was to mobilize participants for the 2026 midterm elections with the explicit goal of "flipping the House and Senate" and generating a "Blue Wave." Activities discussed included tracking primaries and polls, researching candidates, phone-banking, postcard writing, and get-out-the-vote efforts in targeted districts.
Publicly available details from the event organizer's website include:
Explicit references to "Let's FLIP the HOUSE and SENATE" and "generate a Blue Wave."
Speakers affiliated with Democratic Party organizations (e.g., the Chair of the 24th Legislative District discussing local races and the Washington State Democratic Convention).
Encouragement of direct campaign support activities.
Providing facilities for an event with clear partisan campaign goals may constitute prohibited intervention in political campaigns under IRC Section 501(c)(3) and the Johnson Amendment, as it appears to support efforts to elect or defeat candidates based on party affiliation.
I have no direct financial interest in this matter and am reporting this based on publicly available information out of concern for compliance with tax-exempt rules. Enclosed/attached [if applicable]: screenshots or printouts of the event page for reference.
Thank you for investigating this matter. Please contact me if you need additional
You covered a lot of issues this week, CJ! You are the cat at the laptop meme. There has been some a commenter on CCWD who believes that not just Tribes should be paying their share of taxes, but also churches, schools, and national parks. Jeff's article and your exchange with St. Luke's should have prompted this person to post a thank you or a "finally." I haven't seen anything from him.
They have infiltrated the Churches too. I thought they had to bring all the candidates in?
A limited 2025 IRS position from a proposed court settlement with specific religious plaintiffs stated that good-faith comments on candidates or elections during religious services, framed through the lens of faith (e.g., from the pulpit), may not count as prohibited intervention. This applies narrowly to houses of worship in religious contexts and does not broadly permit hosting partisan political meetings or events outside of services.
I am a believer in spirituality and it's importance in human lives. However; once that apolitical line is crossed the tax advantages offered to places of worship should be revoked. When you venture into the business of influencing voters you are now a taxable business.
Internal Revenue Service
TE/GE Referrals Group
1100 Commerce Street, MC 4910 DAL
Dallas, TX 75242
Re: Complaint Regarding Potential Violation of 501(c)(3) Rules by St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Sequim, Washington
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am writing to report suspected prohibited political campaign intervention by St. Luke's Episcopal Church, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization located at 525 N. 5th Avenue, Sequim, WA 98382.
On February 7, 2026, the church provided its facilities as the venue for an event organized by Indivisible Sequim titled "It's 2026 Tsunami Time | 2026 Blue Tsunami." The event's stated purpose was to mobilize participants for the 2026 midterm elections with the explicit goal of "flipping the House and Senate" and generating a "Blue Wave." Activities discussed included tracking primaries and polls, researching candidates, phone-banking, postcard writing, and get-out-the-vote efforts in targeted districts.
Publicly available details from the event organizer's website include:
Explicit references to "Let's FLIP the HOUSE and SENATE" and "generate a Blue Wave."
Speakers affiliated with Democratic Party organizations (e.g., the Chair of the 24th Legislative District discussing local races and the Washington State Democratic Convention).
Encouragement of direct campaign support activities.
Providing facilities for an event with clear partisan campaign goals may constitute prohibited intervention in political campaigns under IRC Section 501(c)(3) and the Johnson Amendment, as it appears to support efforts to elect or defeat candidates based on party affiliation.
I have no direct financial interest in this matter and am reporting this based on publicly available information out of concern for compliance with tax-exempt rules. Enclosed/attached [if applicable]: screenshots or printouts of the event page for reference.
Thank you for investigating this matter. Please contact me if you need additional
information.
Sincerely,
A fantastic letter, John. Fingers crossed.
Thank you for filing a formal complaint!
I write these so others can file if they want.
You covered a lot of issues this week, CJ! You are the cat at the laptop meme. There has been some a commenter on CCWD who believes that not just Tribes should be paying their share of taxes, but also churches, schools, and national parks. Jeff's article and your exchange with St. Luke's should have prompted this person to post a thank you or a "finally." I haven't seen anything from him.
Thank you two for bringing up these issues in podcast format it is truly filling my cc watchdog podcast void.
You’re welcome; glad you’re enjoying it!
They have infiltrated the Churches too. I thought they had to bring all the candidates in?
A limited 2025 IRS position from a proposed court settlement with specific religious plaintiffs stated that good-faith comments on candidates or elections during religious services, framed through the lens of faith (e.g., from the pulpit), may not count as prohibited intervention. This applies narrowly to houses of worship in religious contexts and does not broadly permit hosting partisan political meetings or events outside of services.