Charities say they have been forced to change their public messaging during the general election campaign because of the "chilling" effect of the Lobbying Act. The warning, from a group of leading UK-based organizations, creates even more controversy around the law, which restricts what non-governmental organizations may say in the year before a general election. It was originally rolled out to keep in check lobbying efforts in addition to NGOs, but the organizations say the burden of the act has fallen disproportionately on them.