‘According to sources, Chattanooga Moms for Social Justice in partnership with the Hamilton County Democratic Party advertised an event called Cookout the Vote which raised concerns that the organizations may be violating a 2020 Tennessee code that prohibits bribing voters. 

The event was scheduled for the evening of Thursday, July 28th, at Brainerd Recreational Center in Chattanooga, TN. The original post that was later deleted (but archived here) contained an image with the following text:

Early Vote and Get Dinner On Us!

Join the Chattanooga Moms for Social Justice and the Hamilton County Democratic Party to COOKOUT THE VOTE!

Bring your “I voted” sticker (or just tell us you voted – we’ll believe you!) and get a free hot dog and chips!

Citizens of Hamilton County who saw the post on social media wondered if it was legal to feed voters as a reward for voting and have reported it to the FBI. Lauren Topping, attorney for the Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance, was also contacted and confirmed that it was a criminal matter and that it needed to be reported to the local District Attorney.

Our sources confirm that an email was also sent to Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office and he responded with the statues and advised concerned citizens to contact the FBI and the DA.

The event was later labeled as a community cookout by both the Hamilton County Democratic Party and Moms for Social Justice (MSJ.)

Chattanooga Moms for Social Justice, depending on their non-profit designation status, may engage in political campaigns (provided that such activities are not the organization’s primary activity) or be banned from it completely. However, regardless of their non-profit status, they are still banned from bribing voters. Violating this prohibition may result in revocation of their tax-exempt status.

The Tennessee Conservative is awaiting confirmation of their non-profit designation status and will update as the information becomes available.

The group has several social media posts supporting Jill Black for school board in district 11 who is running as a Democrat.

A look at their Facebook page clearly shows their bias.