Citizens in Charge
This article is outside of Ballotpedia's coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. If you would like to help our coverage scope grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.
| Citizens in Charge | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Woodbridge, Va. |
| Type: | 501(c)(4) |
| Top official: | Paul Jacob |
| Year founded: | 2003 |
| Website: | Official website |
Citizens in Charge (CIC) is a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization that works directly with public officials and voters to protect and spread ballot initiative rights. The Citizens in Charge Foundation is a separate 501(c)(3) organization.[1]
Mission
The website for Citizens in Charge lists the following statement of purpose:[2]
| “ | The organization works with activists, legislators, media, opinion leaders and voters to protect the initiative and referendum process where it exists in 24 states and to expand the process to the 26 states where voters currently lack that right.[3] | ” |
Work
Citizens in Charge primarily works with the initiative process. In a 2004 opinion piece for Town Hall, President Paul Jacob said, "Citizen control of government is not merely desirable, it is absolutely essential. And I trust the people--at least, a whole lot more than I trust the politicians."[4] The group's early work was focused on the state of Minnesota, where CIC organized an effort with Let Minnesota Vote to get a statewide initiative process in place.
The organization was also active in a ballot initiative movement in Florida in 2004. The organization opposed a plan to require 60 percent of voters to approve a referendum. In partnership with Florida activists Philip Blumel and Rick Shepherd, CIC launched the Florida Initiative League. Jacob told the St. Petersburg Times, "The question here is, 'Who's the boss?' I thought we'd answered that question many times in this country."[5]
Ballot measures
Leadership
The website for Citizens in Charge lists Paul Jacob as the only member of the organization's board of directors.[6]
The organization's 2014 tax documents listed the following individuals as the organization's directors:[7]
- William Redpath
- Eric O'Keefe
- John Tillman
- Dennis Polhill
Finances
Below is a breakdown of Citizens in Charge's revenue and expenses for the 2012 to 2014 fiscal years:
| Annual revenue and expenses for Citizens in Charge, 2012-2014 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tax Year | Total Revenue | Total Expenses |
| 2014[7] | $5,695 | $90,426 |
| 2013[8] | $11,112 | $63,476 |
| 2012[9] | $271,426 | $404,136 |
Tax status
Citizens in Charge is a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Its 501(c) status refers to a section of the U.S. federal income tax code concerning social welfare organizations.[10] Organizations that have been granted 501(c)(4) status by the Internal Revenue Service are exempt from federal income tax.[11] Section 501(c) of the U.S. tax code has 29 sections listing specific conditions particular organizations must meet in order to be considered tax-exempt under the section. Unlike 501(c)(3) organizations, however, donations to 501(c)(4) organizations are not tax-deductible for the individual or corporation making the contribution. 501(c)(4) organizations may engage in political lobbying and political campaign activities. This includes donations to political committees that support or oppose ballot measures, bond issues, recalls, or referenda.
- See also: 501(c)(4) organizations on Ballotpedia
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Citizens in Charge'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Citizens in Charge, "About Us," accessed December 11, 2013
- ↑ Citizens in Charge, "About Us," accessed February 13, 2011
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Town Hall, "Why I?m [sic] a democrat and Why I Wish the Democrats Were democrats, Too," January 11, 2004
- ↑ St. Petersburg Times, "Any push to amend may face new rules," March 24, 2004
- ↑ Citizens in Charge, "Board of Directors," accessed June 10, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Guidestar, "Citizens in Charge IRS Form 990 (2013)," accessed June 10, 2016
- ↑ Guidestar, "Citizens in Charge IRS Form 990 (2013)," accessed June 10, 2016
- ↑ Guidestar, "Citizens in Charge IRS Form 990 (2012)," accessed June 10, 2016
- ↑ Internal Revenue Service, "IRC 501(c)(4) Organizations," accessed July 10, 2014
| |||||||
