It’s not my employer’s business what I donate to and nobody else’s business who my employer is. This question is highly inappropriate in my view.

It's a standard question on political donation forms, required by campaign finance law. Read more here: https://www.quora.com/U-S-Presidential-Campaign-Donations-wh...

The above is relation to presidential campaigns specifically but the logic applies equally to other electoral contests.

Until Citizens United blew the door open, if you were a corporation you had to find ways to get money to candidates.

Telling your employees to donate to $CAUSE was one of them, and offering them bonuses or matching or other "incentives" -- aka "sign here to get your X-Mas bonus" on donation form -- was a way to move money.

Indeed, it isn't your employer's business what or whom you donate to. But the more straightforward answer is that they are likely required to ask by law (possibly subject to other criteria).

How is that ever a serious concern? Prosecute it if it happens and note that in any non coercive case it just leaves the employee with a bonus.

The only case I've read about was more "pressure" from one exec on other execs to all donate a certain way. I don't recall where I read it.

But it's also conceivable in any job with a large power imbalance for workers.

> making sure an employer is not demanding the employees donate, or giving money to the employees to donate by proxy

That scenario seems extremely unlikely.

Nope, it's happened frequently, which is why they ask.

Here's somebody going to prison in 2014: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/...

That's a good question, because I've had no luck finding an example.

I do recall reading about it, but that could have been decades ago. And it's hard to find old stuff.

What I find is about contributions from employees of government contractors, and from government employees. So maybe that's been the driver for the requirement.