Can Nonprofits Register Voters? And Other FAQ’s on Getting Started
Maybe you’ve heard about nonprofits registering voters and thought, “Wait, is that actually allowed?”.
Maybe you want to help folks understand what’s at stake in a certain election, but want to make sure you’re protecting your organization’s 501(c)(3) status.
In a time of huge change and shifts in the nonprofit sector, it is more important than ever to address some common anxieties and concerns around nonprofit voter registration and civic engagement.
From supporting and hearing from hundreds of staff and volunteers doing this work, here are a few common questions we get and some responses.
Here are the questions we cover in this article:
- “Can 501(c)(3) nonprofits register voters?”
- “What if someone asks, Who do I vote for?”
- “What if we don’t want to seem political?”
- “Can we provide voter registration forms?”
- “Where do I start?”
Let’s demystify nonprofit voter education!
Can 501(c)(3) nonprofits register voters? What the IRS Says
“Is voter registration allowed at nonprofits?” — The answer is a resounding YES! Thousands of nonprofits, from food pantries to health centers to youth groups, engage the people they serve in voting and voter registration in all kinds of ways every day, all legally.
The key is to stay nonpartisan, and in this quick article, we’ll break down what that means for you if you’re interested in getting started.
Direct from the IRS website, 501(c)(3) organizations CAN conduct voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives as long as these are neutral and nonpartisan activities. So leave that campaign button at home, as supporting candidates or parties while engaging in this work is strictly prohibited!
Click to Enlarge: What the IRS says about can nonprofits register voters
Nonprofits can:
- Help clients and community members understand voter registration forms
- Share links or QR codes to online voter registration portals
- Offer nonpartisan information on voter registration deadlines and eligibility
- Remind clients of their options to vote such as in-person on election day, voting early, or by mail
Just don’t:
- Endorse specific political parties or candidates
- Promote certain parties or candidates over others
- Recommend specifically who people should or should not be voting for
- Provide materials, financial support, or communications that support or promote a certain candidate or party
Ready to get started?📘 Check out our in-depth checklist on what 501(c)(3) nonprofits can legally do during election season, or the Fair Election Center’s state-by-state voter registration drive guides on rules specific to your state
“What If someone asks, Who do I vote for?”
Nonprofit staff often hear “I don’t know who to vote for” when engaging people who are new to voting, or when candidates don’t have much information out publicly! So, you get asked this, congratulations, because this is the first step towards getting your community engaged!
REMEMBER: You can’t tell voters who or which party to vote for, but you can help guide them towards making their own decisions.
- Direct them to candidate research sites like BallotReady or VOTE411
- Share a local organization that is producing nonpartisan candidate guides or hosting a candidate forum, like your local League of Women Voters or other civic organization
- Share a trusted news site that may have interviews with candidates or voting history if the candidate has served in that position before.
Some voters don’t know what all the parties stand for, and another way to introduce them is to send them to the party websites to see the party platforms and which candidates or elected officials have been supported by that party.
Quick reference 🧾 Download our handy printable PDF of more common FAQ and responses to “What Nonprofit Staff Can Say About the Election.”
More questions? Check out our “What nonprofit staff can say about local elections” post! We cover more questions around candidates and ballot measures!
“What if we’re worried that voter education might be too political?”
While it’s responsible to be wary, it’s important to remember that your organization is NOT pushing for a particular party or a candidate. Instead, you’re building civic infrastructure and agency for your community. Many folks are never asked to register to vote, nor are they reached by campaigns or candidates. Being asked to vote at a nonprofit might be their first invitation to have a say in our democracy.
You can always start small and test “quiet” voter education integrations.
Some easy, “quiet” examples:
- Include an election day reminder in an existing newsletter
- Promote existing voting resource links, like the state or county election website, to check their voter registration or polling location information
- Pilot a small flyer or QR code sticker to the state election website on a bulletin board
- Put up a poster in celebration of a nonpartisan national day of action like National Voter Registration Day
- Putting a voting reminder flyer at an intake counter
Educating someone on the process of getting civically engaged can be a way to empower them by taking a powerful action amplifying the worth of their voice – something important to all nonprofit missions.
If you’re still concerned, no worries – maybe now isn’t the right time, but you can always start super small. You don’t need to start registering voters immediately. You can build up slowly to test the waters and see what the community and staff response is.
From the hundreds and thousands of nonprofits we’ve encountered, many get positive responses and appreciation like “thank you for doing this”!
“Can we provide voter registration forms?”
In most states, you can print paper registration forms right from the state’s site. Here’s a handy list by state of registration drive guides (go to the section “Obtaining Forms”). However, a few states have special rules to know, like needing a certification or limiting how many forms you can order.
As of May 2025, here are a few exceptions as examples:
- Texas: You MUST be certified as a deputy registrar to provide paper forms
- Nevada: Forms can’t be printed and need to be directly requested from an election office
- California: If you don’t have a printer, the number of forms you can request from the office per day is limited
Feeling overwhelmed? No sweat – almost every state accepts the federal voter registration form linked here and in multiple languages! Just double-check your state at the voter guide drive link!
“Sounds good, but where do I start?”
Feeling motivated? Start small or go big—we’ve got tools, examples, and a whole community of nonprofits doing this work. Check out our case studies, download our toolkit, or printable tools and resources you can use to get going today.
Have someone who might want to read this? Forward them this article!
Have a question not answered here? Feel free to email us at info@nonprofitvote.org
