Practice democracy and raise the nonprofit profile
Although nonprofits CANNOT engage in election activities for or against individual candidates or political parties, nonprofits CAN legally engage in nonpartisan election-related activities. Use your legal rights now because it is time to raise the nonprofit profile. To help you know your rights, we have posted many resources on the Nonprofit Congress website.
Who are the candidates having events in your area and what are the issues before them that will shape the nonprofit horizon for you? On a nonpartisan basis, make sure local candidates know what matters to nonprofits. For resources that can help you identify candidates, hone in on key questions, and begin to build relationships before people take public office, visit the Nonprofit Congress website.
Learn from the Primary Project that the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits undertook last winter and apply those tactics to an election in your area. Decide on a question or two to ask, build a team to turn out at candidate events, learn the tips for getting called on at these events, and ask your questions. Then tell us about how it went.
Voter registration resources
If your nonprofit has not engaged in voter registration, now is the time to learn more. The Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network offers a variety of training resources, including webinars and PowerPoint presentations, toolkits, and state-by-state guidelines for every aspect of voting. Their starter-kit has all the essentials any nonprofit needs to encourage their communities to participate and vote this fall:
- Nonprofits, Voting and Election: a guide to permissible voter engagement activities for 501(c)(3)s
- Vote November 4 T-shirts
- Vote November 4 buttons, stickers
- Nonprofit Voter Participation Checklist
Count My Vote: A Citizen’s Guide to Voting by Steven Rosenfeld, an award-winning journalist and NPR staff reporter, is a 2008 Election Guide for everyone who will be registering voters, working on campaigns and, of course, voting. The book is filled with what people need to know about each state's voting rules, voter ID laws, new voting machines; what to do if you move; and what to do if problems pop up. It has special sections for students and seniors and a state-by-state voting reference guide.
Most importantly, it gives voters the confidence they need to handle any problem they might face while voting. Michael Slater, Deputy Director of Project Vote states: "This is a timely and indispensable guide for anyone who is involved in a voter registration or get out the vote campaign. Count My Vote presents the big picture of how elections are run, and the book empowers voters and campaign volunteers to be effective advocates for voters."
Consider forming or joining a voter registration coalition
The National Action Network announced the "Not This Time" initiative, aimed at preventing the voting mishaps that occurred during the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. Along with the National Urban League, the Southern Christian Leadership Council and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, the Network will lead a voter protection and voter registration initiative in seven states leading up to the November general election. They are Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Alabama.
The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law is publishing a blog on voting rights and elections.
