FEDERAL ELECTION LAW VIOLATIONS-------FCC MEDIA AND IRS 501C3

Baltimore's 2016 election process is filled with communities and organizations participating in the legal way----inviting all candidates to a forum.  This is great news because this is the only way a voter will go to a voting booth knowing the candidates in the race and their platforms.  Maryland and Federal laws say that a voter must be informed when voting----knowing the issues and the candidates.  Some candidates will have campaign funding to pay for more exposure and that is alright.  Elections were through modern history funded by the Federal, state, and local governmental budgets with wide open election events in public schools, public universities, and public meeting spaces like our Baltimore War Monument.  This is to where we want to return to take all of the private media and non-profits from being the only election venues and that desire to exclude.  It was this strong public funding and public election system that created an equal playing ground so campaign funding and personal wealth did not matter.  This is upon what our Federal election laws were originally based.  We must rebuild oversight and accountability and enforcement to return to free and fair democratic US Constitutional with a Bill of Rights election process. 

So far I have had to send complaints against all universities in Baltimore and most media.  Fox News and WYPR have given nice individual candidate interviews and I am expecting one from WEAA Marc Steiner.  Saying that-----this does not mean these interviews are given air time.  Posting online does not meet that requirement unless ALL candidates in a race are online as well.  In some cases all of these interviews may never be posted and that is where TOO MUCH POWER by media to make these decisions exists.  It is the voters who decide which candidates have popular support by choosing them on the election ballot.  All voters know media has gone beyond an acceptable control in covering elections.


To: 
 
Maria Thompson, Ph.D.
President Coppin State University
2500 West North Avenue,
Baltimore, MD 21216-3698
 
Office of the President    David Wilson
Morgan State University
1700 E. Cold Spring Lane
Truth Hall, Rm. 400
Baltimore, Maryland 21251
 
Maryland Board of Elections
151 West Street, Suite 200,
 Annapolis, MD 21401
 
Office of the Attorney General Frosh
200 St. Paul Place
Baltimore, MD 21202
 
From:  Cindy Walsh for Mayor of Baltimore
 
RE:  Failure to invite to participate Cindy Walsh for Mayor of Baltimore to major election events on public university campuses.
 
Federal IRS 501c3 election laws require that if a 501c3  organization like our universities in Baltimore choose to participate in election primaries, and we would expect them to, they must participate in ways that do not harm any candidate in a race and that means all need to be invited and the forum format must address each candidate equally.
Baltimore has a history of failing to meet these Federal IRS election laws and as such most citizens in Baltimore have lost respect for the election process and do not participate.  We are going to change this with a Federal lawsuit asking that Baltimore meet Federal election laws. 
Cindy Walsh would like Morgan State University and Coppin State University to fulfill these requirements and has sent similar letters to Maryland Board of Elections and Maryland Attorney General Frosh about this same issue for Johns Hopkins Mayoral Forum and University of Baltimore Mayoral Forum.  Our university systems would be the place for open broad discussion of public policy and political election events and we would want an institution that sets an example of upholding the law of the land.  Federal election laws cannot be ignored by states----it says so in our laws.  Federal election laws do not recognize a partnered format where the obligation of our universities to 501c3 IRS election laws are ignored because of a sharing of space with media.  While FCC election laws also forbid the exclusion of major party candidates from forums even by a TV and/or radio station---that partnership does not relieve the inclusion responsibilities to all parties.
Election laws require a candidate to notify the Maryland Board of Elections and Maryland Attorney General within 10 days of a violation.  In this case it is the expectation of Cindy Walsh to attain acknowledgement from Coppin and Morgan State Universities of my participation in forums coming in early March 2016.  I have asked as well that University of Baltimore allow for my inclusion and an acknowledgement of such for forums later in March.
Finally, having student forums or other forums on campus during this period does not preclude universities from these major election venues with intent towards media coverage.  Everyone understands the advantage of a televised event and a tiered system of venues does not replace participation in all events on campus.
 
Thank you,
 
 
Cindy Walsh
 
2522 N Calvert St
Baltimore, MD 21218
443-825-7031
Cwals99@yahoo.com

_________________________________________________________________________


 
To:          The First Baptist Church of Cherry Hill
Rev. Joel M Small
823 Cherry Hill Road
Baltimore, MD 21225
 
Greater Baltimore Urban League
Affiliate CEO:   J. Howard Henderson
512 Orchard Street
Baltimore  Maryland  21201
 
Maryland Board of Elections
151 West Street, Suite 200,
 Annapolis, MD 21401
 
Office of the Attorney General Frosh
200 St. Paul Place
Baltimore, MD 21202
From:  Cindy Walsh for Mayor of Baltimore
 

 
RE:  Failure to invite to participate Cindy Walsh for Mayor of Baltimore to major election events on public university campuses.

 
Federal IRS 501c3 election laws require that if a 501c3  organization like our universities in Baltimore choose to participate in election primaries, and we would expect them to, they must participate in ways that do not harm any candidate in a race and that means all need to be invited and the forum format must address each candidate equally.
Baltimore has a history of failing to meet these Federal IRS election laws in some venues and as such most citizens in Baltimore have lost respect for the election process and do not participate.  We are going to change this with a Federal lawsuit asking that Baltimore meet Federal election laws.   Our community forums have held to Federal guidelines with a few exceptions but our major election event venues are still allowed to violate Federal Election law in this Baltimore Mayoral Democratic primary of 2016.
 
I am making our Maryland Board of Elections and Maryland Attorney General’s Office aware of these Federal election violations because Maryland is bound to enforce not only Maryland Election law, but Federal as well.
 
The First Baptist Church of Cherry Hill on April 5, 2016 under Rev. Joel M Small created a forum for city council and mayoral candidates that failed to meet their 501c3 non-profit status for participating in election events. First, candidates were asked different questions with no ability to answer each or to have questions of similar nature; second time allowances in answering questions varied with moderator choosing when to allow extended times rather than giving all candidates such.  The mayoral forum was so biased it created ‘groups’ of candidates that were staged by tier giving many strong questions to a crowd at the beginning of this forum then those candidates allowed the stage as a third tier late at night receiving two detailed questions on health.  Reverend Small made public to this crowd he did not want Cindy Walsh to participate and I had to insist---but ended with no time before an empty room anyway.  This community event was much like the other I submitted a complaint -----The Arena with WOLM and Larry Young/Lou Fields-----but having the pleasure of attending dozens of other community events meeting for the most part Federal election guidelines we know those not following do so knowing they are violating law.
 
 
The Greater Baltimore Urban League hosted a Mayoral Forum tied to an event surrounding the vital issues of economy in Baltimore.  Oddly they called it EQUAL OPPORTUNITY DAY because they refused to allow all candidates for Mayor of Baltimore to participate in this forum.  It was a Democratic primary candidate only---and then only a few of those candidates were allowed.  As we know, 501c3 organizations are not allowed to use gimmicks like polling to exclude and even if this was a factor Cindy Walsh polled as well as a DeRay for Mayor of Baltimore for example.  When our Maryland Board of Elections and a Maryland Attorney General’s Office does not build oversight and accountability into these election venues especially when complaints in past elections have been noted our major election venues feel they can operate outside of law creating extreme primary election bias in the City of Baltimore.  This no doubt is why 17% of registered Democratic voters came out to vote in the last Mayoral election.
 
Cindy Walsh for Mayor of Baltimore will be going to Federal court over these violations but is required to report complaints to my State offices tied to enforcing Federal Election Law.  In both cases I notified people tied to these events my desire to participate and am now sending them a copy of this complaint within 10 days of violation.
 
 
Equal Opportunity Day- Creating One Baltimore-Reflect Recover Rebuild is Friday at 7:30 AM
Organized by Greater Baltimore Urban League
 Greater Baltimore Urban League
512 Orchard Street
Baltimore  Maryland  21201
United States
(410) 523-8150
Affiliate CEO: 
J. Howard Henderson
jhh985@aol.com
 
 
Friday, April 8, 2016 from 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM (EDT)

Baltimore Marriott Waterfront
700 Aliceanna Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

 
 
 
Thank you,
 
 
Cindy Walsh
 
2522 N Calvert St
Baltimore, MD 21218
443-825-7031
Cwals99@yahoo.com