Don't Be Shy, Engage the Candidates!

This month we're hosting two webinars! The first is the perfect opportunity to brainstorm ways to use ballot measures to educate your clients and further your public policy goals.

Taking a Stand: Ballot Measure Advocacy for Nonprofits
Thursday May 10th, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern

Many states put laws, constitutional amendments, and referendums on the ballot, asking voters to make critical public policy decisions at the polls. Often, the outcome directly affects our organizations and communities, so we have a vested interest in the results. Although nonprofits cannot endorse or oppose a candidate, they can take a stand on ballot measures. Learn how your nonprofit can benefit from engaging the public around ballot measures, as well as how to advance your advocacy efforts through ballot measure activity.

Featured Presenter: Nayantara Mehta is Senior Counsel with the Alliance for Justice in Oakland, California, and works to help strengthen the capacity of the public interest community to influence public policy and engage around elections. She conducts trainings throughout the country on the rules governing advocacy and lobbying by public charities and private foundations. She holds a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), an M.A. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. 

Webinar Materials on 501(c)(3) Guidelines Now Available

Yesterday's webinar, Being Nonpartisan: 501(c)(3) Guidelines for Voter Engagement Work, is now available!

You can watch the presentation on YouTube, and if you subscribe to our channel, you'll be notified whenever new content is posted. You can also download the PowerPoint presentation and the audio portion of the presentation, or browse all of our resources on staying nonpartisan.

Now that you have a handle on the nonpartisan basics, consider taking the next step by registering for our upcoming webinar on May 10th, Taking a Stand: Ballot Measure Advocacy for Nonprofits. Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the do's and don't for engaging the public around referendums, initiatives, and ballot questions. RSVP today!

Reminder: Nonpartisan Guidelines Webinar

There's still time to register for this week's webinar on guidelines for staying nonpartisan while doing voter engagement work! Register now!

Being Nonpartisan: 501(c)(3) Guidelines for Voter Engagement Work
Thursday April 26th, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern

Learn what it means to be nonpartisan and how it impacts the voter engagement efforts of nonprofits. We'll describe what your organization can do within nonpartisan limits to help your clients and community members register to vote and access information about the voting process, candidates, and issues. We'll even describe how to engage candidates on a nonpartisan basis! Register now and help raise participation rates in your community this year!

Featured Presenter: George Pillsbury is the founder and Executive Director of Nonprofit VOTE, as well as the author of "Nonprofits, Voting, and Elections: A Guide to Nonpartisan Voter Engagement for 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organizations". He also founded and directed MassVOTE and started several foundations dedicated to community uplift. His work in the fields of philanthropy, social investing, and voter and civic participation spans three decades.

Voter Registration Upgrades Needed

The Pew Center on the States recently released an issue brief on "Evidence That America's Voter Registration System Needs an Upgrade".

The report underscores the need for registration systems that better maintain voter records, save money, and streamline processes. The report notes that nationwide:

• At least 51 million eligible citizens remain unregistered--more than 24% of the eligible population.
• More than 1.8 million deceased individuals are listed as voters.
• Approximately 2.75 million people have registrations in more than one state.
• About 12 million records have incorrect addresses, meaning either the voters moved, or errors in the information make it unlikely any mailings can reach them.

However, since 2010, elections officials from several states have been working with Pew on plans to upgrade their voter registration systems. This includes comparing registration lists with other data sources--like motor vehicle and National Change of Address records--minimizing data entry by finding ways for voters to submit information online, and using protocols to better track and identify inaccurate records. 

Although nonprofits might not be able to fix all these registration issues, there's plenty we can do to ensure all eligible citizens are registered. Learn more about voter registration and how you can participate in National Voter Registration Day on September 25!

(Image Source) 

Candidates Talk Back with Candidate Questionnaires!

While nonprofits cannot support or oppose a candidate for office, there are a number of ways to engage candidates on a nonpartisan basis.

Consider creating a candidate questionnaire: not only will it allow you to communicate with candidates, but it will also let your clients (and the public) know what the candidates think about a variety of issues impacting your community.

Draft the questions carefully.

• Pose questions in a neutral manor so that they do not favor (or seem to favor) a particular candidate.
• Don't use the questionnaire to demonstrate whether a candidate agrees or disagrees with your organization's views.
• Keep it fairly short--you want candidates to respond and you want people to read their responses.
• Use open-ended questions and avoid yes/no or support/oppose formats.
• Do not include pledges (e.g. "If elected I agree to support all _____ issues.").

Distribute the questionnaire to all candidates.

• Be sure to send the questions to EVERY candidate in the race.
• Provide a word limit for responses--this helps avoid the impression of favoring one candidate over another.
• Set a deadline for replies, but leave a reasonable amount of time.
• Don't be afraid to follow up if you don't hear back.

Share their responses!

• Publish all responses in full (another reason for imposing a word limit). Do not paraphrase, summarize, or edit responses.
• All responses should be displayed in the same font, the same print size, and in an impartial way.
• Remember, do not compare the candidates' responses to your organization's views.
• Let the public know this information is available! Post it on your website, broadcast it in your communications, and make hard copies available at your nonprofit.

For further guidelines (like what to do if some candidates don't respond) review the Alliance for Justice's Candidate Questionnaire factsheet.

Ahead of their May 8th state primary, the N.C. Center for Nonprofits sent a list of 10 questions about key policy issues for the nonprofit sector to each gubernatorial candidate. They ranged from inquiries about personal experience with the nonprofit sector to questions about incentives for charitable giving, and plans to collaborate with and support nonprofits in North Carolina. A number of candidates participated, so check out their responses!

Consider writing your own questionnaire, and learn more about candidate engagement! Have you created a candidate questionnaire? Tell us about it!

(Image Source)

New Partner Spotlight: Kids Voting USA

Please join us in welcoming Kids Voting USA (KVUSA) to the Nonprofit VOTE network! Kids Voting USA is working to secure the future of our democracy by preparing young people to be educated, engaged citizens. They operate through a national network of community-based affiliates that partner with schools and elections officials to offer students in Kindergarten through high school a range of opportunities for civic learning and engagement.

By combining classroom instruction, family dialogue, and an authentic voting experience, KVUSA is working to create long-term changes in voting behavior. Students take part in a voting experience using a ballot that mirrors that of adults with the same candidates and issues, reinforcing civic knowledge and skills.

Learn more about all of our state and national partners. 

Partner Spotlight: CWLA

Nonprofit VOTE is pleased to introduce one of our newest national partners, the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA)! CWLA is a powerful coalition of hundreds of private and public agencies serving vulnerable children and families since 1920.

CWLA leads and engages its network to advance policies, best practices, and collaborative strategies that result in better outcomes for vulnerable children, youth, and families. Encouraging civic and voter engagement is one of the ways CWLA helps advocate for children and youth, as well as the communities that care for and support them. Their expertise, leadership, and innovation helps improve the lives of millions of children in all 50 states.

Find out how voter engagement can help your organization better meet the needs of your clients and constituents!

April Webinar: Stay Nonpartisan

Want to give voter engagement a try, but aren't completely sure what it means to be nonpartisan? Register for our April webinar and find out!

Being Nonpartisan: 501(c)(3) Guidelines for Voter Engagement Work
Thursday April 26th, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern

Learn what it means to be nonpartisan and how it impacts the voter engagement efforts of nonprofits. We'll describe what your organization can do within nonpartisan limits to help your clients and community members register to vote and access information about the voting process, candidates, and issues. We'll even tell you how to engage candidates on a nonpartisan basis! Register now and help raise participation rates in your community this year!

Featured Presenter: George Pillsbury is the founder and Executive Director of Nonprofit VOTE, as well as the author of "Nonprofits, Voting, and Elections: A Guide to Nonpartisan Voter Engagement for 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organizations". He also founded and directed MassVOTE and started several foundations dedicated to community uplift. His work in the fields of philanthropy, social investing, and voter and civic participation spans three decades.

County Elections Websites Need Improvement

In an average year, there are over 5,000 local ballot measures on ballots across the country

However, Ballotpedia recently reviewed 738 county election websites and found that as many as 32% don't display information on local ballot measures. The study reviewed 738 county election websites in 11 states--about 24% of the nation's 3,143 counties.

Accessible and informative elections websites are vital to educating voters and maintaining an accountable electoral system. This is particularly true at the county level, because counties typically administer elections for a variety of jurisdictions—including school districts, cities, towns, villages, park and recreation districts, and other special districts, as well as the county itself. The study found:

• The State of Washington consistently had the best information, while Missouri consistently had the worst.
• The county with the longest archival history was Benton County in Oregon, with election information dating back to 1852.
• Of the 738 counties checked, only 505 (68%) had election information available on their local websites.

See a detailed breakdown of how each state and each county was evaluated. Does your county have an elections website and, if so, how does it perform?

(Image Source)

National Voter Registration Day: Sept. 25

Nonprofit VOTE is part of National Voter Registration Day, a nationwide initiative to register all eligible voters on September 25, 2012!

In 2008, 6 million people failed to cast a ballot either because they didn't know how to register to vote or they missed the deadline. But in 2012, we want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to vote.

On September 25th, our coalition will lead a nationwide field effort to register voters at nonprofits, on campus, at work, in the community, and online. Together, we can ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to register and participate in this year's election!

Learn more about National Voter Registration Day, sign up for updates, and learn how you can get involved!

Find Voter Engagement Resources Now!

Nonprofit VOTE has redesigned our Find Resources section to make it easier than ever to locate resources on the topics that interest you!

With this system, you can quickly browse all of our guides, factsheets, posters, external links, webinars, and other materials on a particular subject to find what you need. Our materials are divided into nine topic areas:

• Voter Engagement 101
• Staying Nonpartisan: 501(c)(3) Guidelines
• Voting in Your State
• Nonprofits and Ballot Measures
• Candidate Engagement
• Voter Registration
• Get-Out-the-Vote
• Research
• Voter Turnout

In addition to our new approach to resources, we've added an Action Center to help you better connect with Nonprofit VOTE. Last month, we mentioned the redesigned Get Started page, but there's even more, so take another look! Visit our website today and see all the changes for yourself!