Voter Registration Principles | Activities | Voter Registration Resources

Voter Registration Principles

Focus on the Month before the Deadline

Studies demonstrate more people register closer to the deadline and that voters who register nearer the election are more likely to vote.

• Plan ahead to have your most active voter registration in the few weeks before your state's deadline.
• Use this time to promote voter registration in your communications and signage in your office.

Decide Your Approach

Not all nonprofits are suited to do voter registration. Some organizations may want to primarily promote registering to vote instead – reminding their audience of the deadline and how to register. Others will take a more pro-active approach.

• Consider your approach from the three levels suggested on the next page.

Know What to Expect

Manage your expectations for registering voters. Many people are already registered, especially following a high-profile presidential election. Some people are not yet citizens and therefore not eligible to vote.

• Many registered voters, especially in communities served by nonprofits, move frequently. You can remind or help them update their registration to a new address.

Understand Voter Registration in Your State

Every state has its own procedure for voter registration. Different states have varying deadlines, along with different ways to obtain, fill out and return forms.

• Use our website's "Learn about Voting in your State" tool to go to the Voter Registration web page for your state
• View or print Nonprofit VOTE's Voter Registration Checklist (in the "find resources" section of website)

Back to Top

Activities

Every year, thousands of potential voters are disenfranchised simply because they miss the deadline for voter registration or don't know to re-register when they move. Making sure staff and the people you serve are registered to vote is a first step toward increased voter and civic engagement in your community.

There are different levels of voter registration activities. Consider the capacity and mission of your organization, as well as the character of your relationships and interactions with clients when planning what type of voter registration activity to do.

Level One: Publicize and Promote

Promote voter registration deadlines in and how-to's in the weeks before the election.

• Announce registration deadlines at events, in newsletters, in e-blasts or on your website.
• Talk about registering to vote at a staff or board meeting. Ask new staff if they are registered to vote.
• Put up posters advertising voter registration deadlines, along with where to get and return voter registration forms

Level Two: Do Registration on Site

Incorporate voter registration into your ongoing activities and constituent interactions.

• Assign a staff member to plan and direct voter registration activities. Train a staff member on how to do voter registration in a nonpartisan way (for more, see "Nonprofits, Voting and Elections").
• Have voter registration forms available and offer voter registration to new clients at intake.
• Designate a staff person to promptly return forms to your Local Election Office in person once a week.
• Set up a space in your lobby with voter registration cards, instructions and a drop box for completed registrations.

Level Three: Mobilize and Partner

For organizations with the time and resources, extend your registration efforts outside your agency to the community you serve.

• Identify partners in your neighborhood or service-area and encourage them to register voters – like other nonprofits, libraries, schools or small businesses
• Have staff or volunteers conduct a voter registration table at community events or highly-trafficked locales. Good locations are where likely voters from the neighborhood congregate - supermarkets, stores, school events, places of worship, transit stops, etc
• Bonus: Voter registration tabling is a great opportunity to educate people about your organization!

•  Guide to Voter Registration
• Guide to Voter Registration in Spanish
• "Who is a Voter?"
• "Top Ten Reasons to Get Out and Vote"
• "Federal Funds and Voter Participation"
• "Los fondos federales y la participacion de los votantes"

Back to Top