Editor’s Note: Nine days after CRC’s Parker Thayer testified before the Election Integrity Committee of the Michigan House of Representatives, Speaker Pro Tempore Rachelle Smit wrote to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, asking that the U.S. Department of Justice investigate fraudulent voter registration efforts.
See the text of the letter below or the PDF.
March 27, 2025
The Honorable Pam Bondi
Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20530-0001
Dear Attorney General Bondi:
Thank you for serving as our nation’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer and for your long history of public service. It is a great relief to know that someone of your background, history of success, and integrity is leading our nation’s Department of Justice.
I would like to bring to your attention and request that you investigate what appear to be serious and significant crimes that are adversely affecting our nation and corrupting its political systems.
In Michigan, we’ve been made aware of potential large-scale tax fraud involving several 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entities that are allegedly engaging in electioneering activities in Michigan, including partisan voter registration efforts. This request is based on comprehensive research conducted by Parker Thayer of the Capital Research Center, a reputable think tank based in Washington, D.C. Mr. Thayer recently testified before the Michigan House Committee on Election Integrity, of which I serve as chair.
The research highlights the activities of GBI Strategies, a partisan voter registration firm that operated during the 2020 election in Michigan. GBI Strategies was reportedly involved in submitting tens of thousands of suspicious voter registration forms, which led to investigations by local police and the FBI. These forms were characterized by discrepancies in signatures, dates of birth, and addresses that did not correspond with real voters. Despite these irregularities, GBI Strategies received millions of dollars from 501(c)(3) organizations – such as the Voter Registration Project – for voter registration work.
The Voter Registration Project, along with other significant 501(c)(3) entities like the Voter Participation Center and Everybody Votes, appear to be raising and spending funds for electioneering purposes, which is a violation of IRS regulations that prohibit 501(c)(3) organizations from engaging in partisan activities. The Voter Registration Project, for instance, paid GBI Strategies over $2.5 million for “Voter Registration Consulting” during the 2020 election despite being legally barred from partisan electioneering.
Furthermore, the Voter Participation Center has been involved in similar activities. The Center has been accused of using targeted filters to exclude potential Republican voters from its voter registration efforts, while the Voter Registration Project has been linked to multiple scandals involving illicit partisanship and fraudulent voter registrations.
Given the scale and seriousness of these allegations, I urge the Department of Justice to initiate a thorough investigation into these entities to determine the extent of their involvement in illegal electioneering activities and fraudulent voter registration efforts. Such an investigation is crucial to uphold the integrity of our electoral process as well as to ensure that tax-exempt organizations comply with federal laws.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I enclose a copy of the remarks given by Mr. Thayer before the Committee on Election Integrity, as well as the slide deck. Please feel free to contact me if you require any further information or documentation.
Sincerely,
[Signed by Speaker Pro Tempore Rachelle Smit and 21 other state representatives.]
