Voter Education Principles | On the Voting Process | On Candidates and Ballot Measures | Voter Education Resources

Voter Education Principles

An educated voter is a likely voter. Nonprofits are excellent conduits for voter education information. Voting Takes -

Knowledge About the Voting Process

Many registered voters still lack the confidence and knowledge to take the time to vote in an election. Nonprofits are trusted messengers that can help voters with the when, where and how of voting.

• A person who votes will often to spread that knowledge to families, friends or neighbors.

Confidence about Casting a Ballot

One reason why people don't vote is fear of failure. No one wants to feel unsure of what is on the ballot or where or how to vote. After voting once, it is easier to become a repeat voter.

• Voters have more confidence when they know the candidates or issues in at least one key race on the ballot.

Urgency and Importance

Above all, voters benefit from a reason to vote. Research demonstrates that voters are much more likely to vote when they sense something is at stake - to gain or to lose. These voters not only believe that will their vote make a difference; they believe that the votes of their peers or community will have an impact as well.

• The urgency and importance your nonprofit communicates will make a difference in how your staff and constituents view voting.

Voter Education on the Voting Process

Promote the When, Where and How of Voting

Use your in-person contacts and communications to promote the when, where and how of voting. Some examples include:

When

• Election date
• Deadline to vote by mail or vote early
• Polling hours

Where

• Polling places
• Early voting locations

How

• How to vote absentee or early in-person
• Where to get help voting
• ID needed, especially for first time voters or states with stricter requirements

Include Lessons About Voting

Does your nonprofit have classes and trainings? As a trusted source for new information, your group activities are a great vehicle for promoting knowledge on the voting process – especially for younger voters and new citizens

Sample classroom activities

• Hold a mock election at your nonprofit or in a neighborhood school
• Teach voting vocabulary words
• Discuss the principles of a fair democracy or fair election
• Pass out voter registration forms or sample ballots
• Cover specifics for your area – what races are on the ballot, how to vote, polling place locations, ballot initiatives

Do Special Education Activities

Depending on who you serve, there are many approaches to voter education

• Hold a special event about the election for one of your programs. Serve food.
• Discuss the election with those who are not citizens and ways they can participate as a volunteer
• Make sure ex- offenders understand their right to vote in their state

Voter Education on Candidates and Ballot Measures

Display or Distribute Sample Ballots

A sample ballot helps voters feel more comfortable with the process of voting, which gives them more confidence when casting their ballot. Print out copies of sample ballots and post them in your lobby, or have a stack of them available in waiting rooms and intake areas.

Where to find sample ballots

• Your State Election website
• Your Local Election website
• Your Local League of Women Voters
• Your Local Newspapers

Candidate Questionnaires

Candidate questionnaires give your community members the opportunity to hear from the candidates on the key issues that matter to your organization. Additionally, candidate questionnaires are a great way to engage the candidates and let them know that your organization is interested and attentive to their positions.

Here are some basic to-do's to be nonpartisan. For more on candidate questionnaires, go here.

• Cover a broad range of issues in your questions
• Make sure the questions are clear and unbiased
• Distribute the questionnaire to each candidate
• Give candidates a reasonable time period in which to respond, and try to make sure that each major candidate has responded
• If a candidate does not respond, write "Did Not Respond" under their name. Do not leave them out of the printed responses, or fill in their issue positions from external sources
• Make time to promote their answers to your all constituents and partners,/li>

Distribute Nonpartisan Voter Guides to Your Community Members

Nonpartisan candidate guides can be great documents to have on hand in a lobby or service area of a nonprofit organization. Not only do they provide an important, unbiased overview of what your community will be voting on come Election Day, they can be taken home by clients and shared and circulated among family and friends.

Where to find candidate guides

• Some State Election websites have official guides
• Nonpartisan organizations like the League of Women Voters or Smart Voter (CA)
• Issue coalitions in your area that produce candidate guides for their members
• Close to major elections, the NonprofitVOTE website posts instructions on where to find candidate guides

Distribute Guides to Ballot Measures

(see section on ballot measures below)

Ballot measures are about laws or constitutional amendments, not candidate elections. You may advocate for or against a ballot measure as a lobbying activity. You may also choose to distribute nonpartisan information on ballot measures as a nonpartisan voter education activity.

Take a position

• Sign onto a coalition or a public statement advocating a "yes" or "no" vote
• Pass out materials educating your constituents on why to vote "yes" or "no" on a ballot measure
• Report advocacy expenditures, if any, as a lobbying activity subject to normal limits on lobbying.
• If your nonprofit lobbies, you should file the 501(h) election with the IRS to standardize lobbying reporting on your 990, including a clear guideline for lobbying spending.

Distribute a neutral voter guide on the ballot measures, i.e. guides that explain the ballot measures but don't take a position for or against

• Get a neutral guide to questions on the ballot – covering issues of interest to your audience. (Find nonpartisan ballot measure guides from the same sources as candidate guides noted above)
• Remember! Nonpartisan voter guides are education, not lobbying. There are no limits to spending money or time on nonpartisan education for voters about ballot measures

Sponsor or Promote a Candidate Forum

Sponsoring and promoting candidate forums or debates makes your nonprofit a player. It connects you to candidates, increasing your status as a policy expert and helps you gain access to elected officials after the election. Additionally, it is a great opportunity to allow your community members to hear directly from candidates on the issues that matter to them.

Some options include -

• Co-sponsoring a candidate forum with other nonprofits
• Advertising a forum sponsored by others
• Holding a debate watching party

• "State Felon Disenfranchisement Laws"
• "Leyes estatales sobre privacion del derecho al voto a delincuentes"
• "Ballot Measure Advocacy"
• "Las organizaciones sin fines de lucro y los plebiscitos"
• "Why People Vote"
• "Become a Poll Worker"
• "Sea un trabajador Electoral"
• "Federal Funds and Voter Participation"
• "Los fondos federales y la participacon de los votantes"