November 8th is just weeks away. Early voting starts in a month in early October in some states. There’s still a great deal your nonprofit can do to encourage voting and raise the profile of Election Day. Promote Early Voting Opportunities. Early voting can allow voters to avoid lines and provides additional flexibility in casting read more
In 2014, Nonprofit VOTE conducted a multi-state study to analyze the voter engagement strategies of nonprofit service providers. More than 100 nonprofits participated, reaching more than 45,000 clients, consumers, and constituents about registering or pledging to vote. Early analysis has revealed that in North Carolina, nonprofits participating in the study had a significant impact on read more
Since America Goes to the Polls 2014 was released, numerous news articles and editorials have covered a range of the report’s findings. On a national level, a great deal of attention has been given to the fact that 2014 turnout (36.6%) was the lowest its been since World War II (USA Today). But because turnout read more
Last week’s webinar, America Goes to the Polls 2014: Voter Turnout in the 2014 Midterm Election, is now available. Many thanks to University of Florida Professor Michael McDonald (and director of the US Elections Project) and George Pillsbury of Nonprofit VOTE for presenting. Watch the presentation on YouTube. If you subscribe to our channel, you’ll read more
Nonprofit VOTE is pleased to release America Goes to the Polls 2014, the latest edition in our series of biennial reports on voter turnout. America Goes to the Polls 2014 uses official election data to rank voter turnout in the 50 states and looks at major factors underlying voter participation in this historically low turnout read more
Last year, Colorado held its first general election since passing a 2013 law that required the state to mail ballots to all registered voters. Although ballots were sent out, voters were not required to vote by mail. In-person voting was still permitted on or before Election Day at Voter Service and Polling Centers. In addition read more
Earlier this year, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced that in 2014 seven local issues were decided by just one vote or tied. In a press release, his office emphasized that “one person could have made the difference in deciding whether local taxes would go up, bond issues passed or an area restaurant or read more
The 2014 midterm election is over, but we have new data and insights to share! Join Nonprofit VOTE for our upcoming webinar: Voter Turnout in the 2014 Election Thursday, March 19th at 2:00pm Eastern This month, Nonprofit VOTE will release America Goes to the Polls 2014, the fifth installment of our biannual series of reports read more
This month we are releasing the latest installment in our America Goes to the Polls series. These reports track national turnout and voting trends among eligible voters in presidential and midterm elections. It is the only place to find state-by-state turnout comparisons based on official turnout data. Additionally, our America Goes to the Polls supplements read more
The results of a recent survey published in Forbes of voters in Utah found that 21% of the Utah voting population prefers to vote by mail. This year, ten counties in Utah offered voters the chance to cast a ballot by mail. Two years ago in 2012, only one county used vote-by mail. Oregon was read more
This summer Illinois instituted a number of election law changes, but just for the November 4, 2014 election. The legislation: Expanded the number of days and extended the hours for early voting; Removed the requirement that people voting early show a photo ID; Allowed students attending Illinois public universities to shift their residences from their read more
Much has been written about turnout in this year’s election: it was the lowest in 72 years at 37%, but still typical for a midterm. Less known is that voters served by nonprofits–youth and voters of color–increased their share of the electorate compared to the 2010 midterm. This trend will continue in election cycles to read more
A number of structural trends have the potential to increase voting by making it more convenient for voters and expanding their options for when and where they can cast a ballot. In 2014, a number of states passed or implemented legislation that made voting easier. Online Voter Registration 48% of eligible voters now live in read more
The 2014 midterm is over. Nonprofits are done until the next election, right? Not even close. While one of the main goals of nonprofit voter engagement is community empowerment and helping people vote, it’s not the only priority. Nonprofit voter engagement benefits both nonprofits and the people we serve. (For specifics, see our Benefits of read more
On Wednesday, Nonprofit VOTE hosted a webinar debrief on 2014 voter turnout. For a more in-depth look at Latino turnout we wanted to share data from the experts at Latino Decisions and their 2014 Election Eve Poll, which summarizes data from interviews with 4,200 Latino voters in 10 states contacted between October 29 and November read more
Yesterday’s webinar, Who Turned Out in the 2014 Midterm Election: A Post-Election Debrief, is now available. Many thanks to Abby Kiesa of CIRCLE and George Pillsbury of Nonprofit VOTE for presenting. Watch the presentation on YouTube. If you subscribe to our channel, you’ll be notified whenever new content is posted. You can also download the read more
This year, 6,931,105 people shared on Facebook that they were voting. Facebook created a real-time map showing where users were clicking the “I’m A Voter” button and The Washington Post turned it into an animated GIF. The button was quite popular–at one point users were clicking it at a rate of 358,000 per hour. Official read more
Last month the Citizen-Times covered Asheville area nonprofits and their get-out-the-vote efforts. The article highlighted: Children First / Communities In Schools printed 40,000 copies of its 2014 Buncombe County Voter Guide. The guide covered candidates’ views on child poverty, education, health, social services to low-income families, affordable housing and living wage requirements. “It’s really issue-focused read more
The following was written by Sean Thomas-Breitfeld, Co-Director of the Building Movement Project, and originally appeared on their blog. Reprinted here with permission. In the wake of Tuesday’s elections, I was left wondering how many nonprofits had registered and turned out voters. This year’s midterms will probably be remembered for the apparent contradiction of progressive read more
Do you have questions about the 2014 midterm, such as… Which state displaced Texas for lowest voter turnout? Which states had the highest turnout? (It wasn’t Minnesota for a change.) Compared to the presidential electorate, how much older was the midterm electorate? Compared to 2010, which demographics increased their share of the vote? (You’ll be read more
Elections are decided by turnout. In the next 36 hours, a personal reminder and help navigating the voting process from you and your nonprofit can make a difference. Answering one question can turn a non-voter into a voter. Share these four essential voting tools with your staff, partners, and the people you serve. 1. Find read more
Pew’s Voting Information Project has collaborated with Google and the Internet Association to create www.gettothepolls.com, a new tool which allows voters to find their polling place and full ballot summary based on their address. Get to the Polls is powered by the Google Civic Information application programming interface and uses official data from state election read more
Be prepared to assist and encourage voters next Tuesday, November 4th. Voters are more likely to participate if they believe turnout will be high, and your reminders can convince people to head to the polls. Send a communication to your audience promoting the voting tools below. Make the election visible. Advertise polling hours prominently on read more
Nonprofit VOTE helps 501(c)(3) nonprofits incorporate nonpartisan election activities into their services and activities. There is a wide variety of permissible activities nonprofits can do and we offer a range of resources to help your organization, whether you’re getting started for the first time or want to try out more complex candidate engagement work. But read more
November 4th is almost here! Over the next week, your discussions with clients and constituents about voting are critical. Use these tested strategies to make your get-out-the-vote efforts as effective as possible. Make it Personal Voter mobilization research shows that people are more likely to participate when contacted personally by someone they know. Voters respond read more
Next week–Tuesday November 4th–is your chance to snag an “I Voted” sticker. Depending on your state, you may have already cast your ballot either in-person or by mail. One downside to voting absentee by mail is that you typically don’t get an “I Voted” sticker. Never fear! Back in 2012, Slate considered this problem and read more
The National Association of Secretaries of State has compiled a list of state-specific helplines and toll-free numbers for the 2014 midterm election. These voter hotlines are available in addition to the national resources 866-OUR-VOTE and 888-VE-Y-VOTA. State Voter Hotline Alabama 1-800-274-VOTE (8683) Alaska 1-866-952-VOTE (8683) Arizona 1-877-THE-VOTE (8683) Arkansas 1-800-482-1127 California 1-800-345-VOTE (8683) Colorado read more
On November 4th voters will decide the fate of 146 statewide ballot measures in 42 states. While nonprofits cannot endorse or oppose candidates for office, they can engage their communities around ballot measures. Your efforts for or against a ballot measure are considered lobbying not electioneering. Therefore, your nonprofit can: Take a stand on a read more
Early voting is on the rise as voters take advantage of increased flexibility about how and when to cast their ballot. As a result, many voters are receiving and returning their ballot by mail–potentially as many as one in five voters this year. However, in 2012 more than a quarter of a million absentee ballots read more
The 2014 election is underway! As of October 15, 800,839 ballots have been cast in reporting jurisdictions. (Ballot count updated daily.) In 2010 over 19 million ballots were cast before Election Day. There are two ways to cast a ballot before Election Day: 1) by mail, or 2) in-person during a designated period prior to read more
Yesterday, the Illinois State Board of Elections announced that 31,000 online voter registration applications were received by the regular registration deadline. Of those applications, more than one-third (11,071) were received in the final 2 days before the deadline. Online voter registration began on June 27, 2014. Although the regular registration period is closed in Illinois, read more
In most states, voters have options for casting a ballot before Election Day. (See the Early Voting Information Calendar for details.) Voting early by mail is a popular choice, and three states–Colorado, Oregon, and Washington–conduct their elections exclusively by mail. To encourage early voting, Long Distance Voter has developed a new online tool to help read more
Yesterday’s webinar, Nonprofits Get Out the Vote, is now available. Many thanks to Abby Kiesa of CIRCLE for presenting. Watch the presentation on YouTube. 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. Below are some read more
Nonprofits are bringing a spotlight to our sector’s issues this year and they’re doing it by engaging candidates. Engaging candidates on a nonpartisan basis shows future elected officials that our nonprofits are paying attention and that our communities vote. The Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers hosted a gubernatorial forum on September 24 focused on read more
Election Day is less than five weeks away. Find out what your nonprofit can do to encourage voting and help get your community to the polls! Nonprofits Get Out the Vote Thursday October 9th at 2:00pm ET On November 4th, voters will decide on all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 36 Senate seats, read more
This year, Election Day will start well before November 4th. For many years, early voting has been on the rise. In 2010, an estimated 27-29% of voters cast ballots early, much higher than previous midterms. In the 2012 presidential election, 35% of ballots cast were cast early. States currently offer three ways for voters to read more
In 2014, 33 Secretaries of State (or their relevant counterparts) promoted voter registration by endorsing National Voter Registration Day and National Voter Registration Month. See the full story below or open it in a new tab. [View the story “Secretaries of State #CelebrateNVRD in 2014” on Storify]
Yesterday’s webinar, Expanding the Right to Vote in 2014, is now available. Many thanks to Jonathan Brater of the Brennan Center for presenting. Watch the presentation on YouTube. If you subscribe to our channel, you’ll be notified whenever new content is posted. You can also download a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation and the audio read more
Thanks to Ballotpedia we have the final count for statewide ballot measures this year–148. Just 35–a near record low–of these ballot measures are citizen-proposed. The last time the total number of statewide measures fell below 150 was 1986. In 2012, voters saw 188 statewide ballot questions. 136 of this year’s statewide ballot measures will appear read more
Voting laws are constantly changing. Stay up to date with what’s happening and how you can help your community vote. Expanding the Right to Vote in 2014 Thursday September 18th at 2:00pm ET 2014 has seen a range of new developments in voting and elections. Join us for an overview of recent trends in voting read more
Yesterday’s webinar, Voter Registration at Your Nonprofit, is now available. Many thanks to Rebecca Gorrell of the Colorado Participation Project for presenting. Watch the presentation on YouTube. If you subscribe to our channel, you’ll be notified whenever new content is posted. You can also download a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation and the audio portion read more
A 2006 survey by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation asked respondents “who/what influences whether or not you will vote?” and the top answers included: Family: 38% Community Organizations: 35% Media Ad: 10% No Response: 9% Friends: 8% The high level of respect for community organizations showed in this poll reinforces the role that read more
The following originally appeared as part of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network‘s Nonprofit411 series. On November 4th, 36 senators, 36 governors, and all 435 members of the House of Representatives will be up for election. Here in Massachusetts, every statewide office, the state legislature, four (contentious) ballot questions, and numerous local races will be on the read more
November 4th is less than 3 months away. August and September are important times to focus on voter registration ahead of many state deadlines. One easy way encourage voter registration is to take advantage of Nonprofit VOTE’s voter registration tool. Install it as a button on your website or link to the tool directly. The read more
Last week’s webinar, Celebrate National Voter Registration Day, is now available. Many thanks to Jimmy A. Hernández of Voto Latino and Maggie Duncan of the League of Women Voters of the US for joining us to talk about this exciting holiday for democracy. Watch the presentation on YouTube. If you subscribe to our channel, you’ll read more
As of yesterday, more than 1,000 partners have signed on to host voter registration events across the country on National Voter Registration Day, which falls on Tuesday, September 23rd. National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) is the largest single-day effort of the year to register voters and involve them in the American political process. Now in read more
At their summer meeting, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) unanimously passed a 5 year resolution – the longest their bylaws allow – in support of National Voter Registration Day (NVRD). In its first two years, more than 1,000 organizations and 10,000 volunteers registered more than 357,000 people to vote on NVRD. NASS read more
Want to participate in National Voter Registration Day but aren’t sure where to start? Join our upcoming webinar: Celebrate National Voter Registration Day Thursday August 7th at 2:00pm Eastern On September 23, 2014, volunteers and organizations from all over the country will celebrate the third annual National Voter Registration Day. In its first two years, read more
Yesterday’s webinar, Laws on the Ballot: Ballot Measure Advocacy for Nonprofits, is now available. Many thanks to Abby Levine of Bolder Advocacy for joining us. Watch the presentation on YouTube. 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 read more
The following appeared in the Summer 2014 issue of Nonprofit Advantage, produced by the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits. This fall, 33 Senators, 36 Governors and all 435 members of the House of Representatives will be on ballots across the country. Already, 47 ballot questions are certified for spots on nineteen statewide ballots. There are lots read more
The 3rd annual National Voter Registration Day is September 23rd! Plan now to join in this national celebration of democracy. Sign on as a partner before July 31st and you’ll receive your organizer’s toolkit and NVRD posters in August. In its first two years, more than 1,000 groups and 10,000 volunteers registered over 360,000 people read more
In every state except North Dakota, you must first register before being able to vote. Thus, voter registration is critical to the voter engagement efforts of nonprofits. While some states allow same-day registration (the ability to register or update your registration information and then cast a ballot), most have advance registration deadlines that are sometimes read more
Last week’s webinar, Candidate Engagement: Forums, Appearances, and More, is now available. Many thanks to Cheryl Clyburn Crawford of MassVOTE for joining us. Watch the presentation on YouTube. 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 read more
Voting not only helps advance the work of your nonprofit, but it can also benefit the individuals you serve. Interested in new ways of talking to your community about voting? Consider sharing our latest resource that highlights the health benefits of voting. Voting & Health: 5 Reasons It’s Good For You: It Strengthens Social Ties. read more
Nonprofit VOTE has update our factsheet series for 2014! Get the latest on candidate appearances, ballot measures, what staff can do, and more. In addition to our general factsheet series, we’ll also be releasing a new series in July on the Benefits of Voting. However, the first installment, Voting and Health: 5 Reasons It’s Good read more
In November 35 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election in addition to state legislatures, governors, statewide offices, and more. Elections are a great way to connect with current and future elected officials. While they’re running, use the opportunity to get your issues in front of candidates, read more
For more than 50 years, the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas has had some of the lowest voter turnout in the country. Traditional political campaigns have not substantially changed these voter turnout rates: even in presidential election only two of ten eligible voters participate. A different approach to voter engagement is called for and read more
Yesterday’s webinar, Voter Registration at Your Nonprofit, is now available. Many thanks to Jeff Narabrook from the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State for joining us. Watch the presentation on YouTube. If you subscribe to our channel, you’ll be notified whenever new content is posted. You can also download the PowerPoint presentation and the read more
Yesterday’s webinar, Who Votes Now? Demographics, Issues, Inequality and Turnout in the United States, is now available. Many thanks to Professor Nagler for joining us. Watch the presentation on YouTube. 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 read more
Yesterday’s webinar, Getting Started: Nonpartisan Voter Engagement at Your Nonprofit, is now available. Many thanks to MassVOTE’s Sara Brady for sharing her expertise. Watch the presentation on YouTube. 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 read more
Interested in voter engagement but not sure where to start? Then join us for: Getting Started: Nonpartisan Voter Engagement at Your Nonprofit Thursday April 17th at 2:00pm Eastern This introduction to nonprofit voter engagement work covers the basics while focusing on how to integrate activities into the services you already provide. We’ll cover voter registration, read more
Last week’s webinar, Being Nonpartisan: Voter Engagement for 501(c)(3) Nonprofits, is now available. Watch the presentation on YouTube. 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 nonpartisan resources on staying read more
Missed last month’s webinar? No problem, we can still help you make a plan for your 2014 voter engagement work. Register now for this week’s webinar: Plan Ahead 2014: Build a Voter Engagement Timeline for Your Nonprofit Thursday February 27th at 2:00pm Eastern The 2014 midterm elections will be here soon, and it’s time to read more
Earlier this month, the Montana Supreme Court ruled that a legislative referendum to end Election Day voter registration can appear on the November 4, 2014 ballot. Called the Montana Late Voter Registration Revision Measure, LR-126, it seeks to eliminate Election Day Registration (EDR), instead closing voter registration on the Friday before Election Day. While the read more
Missed last month’s webinar? No problem, we can still help you make a plan for your 2014 voter engagement work. Register now for: Plan Ahead 2014: Build a Voter Engagement Timeline for Your Nonprofit Thursday February 27th at 2:00pm Eastern The 2014 midterm elections will be here soon, and it’s time to start thinking about read more
To help you plan and organize your voter engagement work this year, we’ve created a 2014 Voter Registration and Engagement Timeline for Nonprofits and Human Service Agencies. Broken down by month, this checklist will help ensure your work is on track. It highlights planning activities for early in the year, ideas for testing out your read more
Yesterday’s webinar, Plan Ahead 2014: Build a Voter Engagement Timeline for Your Nonprofit, is now available. Watch the presentation on YouTube. 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 nonpartisan read more
It’s January, which means it’s time to start making a voter engagement plan! The midterm elections are November 4th, and 35 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election. At least 21 states will have state-wide ballot measures. Make sure your nonprofit is prepared by joining our January read more
Midterm elections are next year and 35 Senate seats will be up for election along with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives. At least 21 states will have state-wide ballot measures. Join our January webinar to ensure your nonprofit is prepared: Plan Ahead 2014: Build a Voter Engagement Timeline for Your Nonprofit Thursday read more
Is it too soon to think about next year’s national midterm and the election of Congress, one-third of the Senate, two-thirds of state governors, and almost all state legislatures? No, definitely not. Unfortunately, most nonprofits won’t even begin considering their November 2014 plans until the end of next summer. In such a small window, there read more
