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PLAN AHEAD 2014:BUILDING A VOTER ENGAGEMENT TIMELINE FOR YOUR NONPROFIT
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ABOUT US
AboutUs
Founded in 2005, Nonprofit VOTE partners with America's nonprofits to help the people they serve participate and vote.
We are a leading source of nonpartisan training, materials and other resources for nonprofits doing voter engagement work.
Find out more about our mission and partners on our site at www.nonprofitvote.org
TODAY’S PRESENTER
Who
Lindsey HodelNational Field
DirectorNonprofit VOTE
• Our size and reach• Our social missions and the trust and respect we
earn from our communities • Our dedicated staff • When we do this work, we are extremely effective!
WHY NONPROFITS?
Why Voting
• The entire House of Representatives, 33 Senators and 36 Governors will be on ballots across the country!
• Forty-seven ballot questions are certified for spots on nineteen statewide ballots in 2014 already!
• Engaging the Rising American Electorate
OPPORTUNITY 2014
Oppor-tunity 2014
NEW
CH
ECKL
IST!
MAKING A PLAN
• Designate a Staff Lead: Choose a staff lead, someone who will be the point person for your voter engagement work.
• Establish Buy-In: Get buy-in from your Executive Director and senior staff.
JAN – FEB: STAFF LEAD AND BUY-IN
• Learn about voting in your state– Nonprofit VOTE’s Voting in Your State Tool:
www.nonprofitvote.org/voting-in-your-state/– Fair Elections Legal Network’s Voter Registration Guides:
www.fairelectionsnetwork.com/resources
• Review nonpartisan guidelines
JAN – FEB: LEARN THE VOTING RULES
• Set ambitious but achievable goals– How many of your staff will be
involved?– How many volunteers?– How many voter registrations
will you aim for?– What other election activities to
do?
MARCH – JULY: SET GOALS
• Programs and Points of Contact: What are your ongoing programs or points of contact with your audience - at your agency, at events, or in your neighborhood?
• Services or classes to target• Special programs or events: A graduation ceremony,
a community festival, a citizenship ceremony, etc.
MARCH – JULY: ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
• Identify staff and volunteers who will be involved
• Get riled up! Provide a rationale for the work
• Initial training: Make sure they have the skills they need.
• Ongoing training and support: Periodically review with staff what they need to know, provide materials and resources
MARCH – JULY: STAFF AND TRAINING
• Find a training partner like an advocacy partner or non-partisan group doing voter registration
• Meet with your local election office
• Consider opportunities: Around ballot measures, candidate forums or get out the vote activities
MARCH – JULY: PARTNERING
VOTER
REGISTRATION
• When: Start in July or August. Ramp up your activities as you near the deadline
• Conduct a pilot of your registration efforts
• Keep in mind:– Some are already registered– Updating an address or name is
just as important as registering for the first time
AUG – SEPT: STARTING VOTER REG
• Plan a kickoff event• Publicize your registration efforts!
AUG – SEPT: KICKOFF AND PUBLICITY
KNOW YOUR DEADLINE
• September 23rd is National Voter Registration Day!– www.nationalvoterregistrati
onday.org/– www.celebratenvrd.org
NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY
VOTER EDUCATION AND GET OUT THE
VOTE
• What’s on the ballot: Sample ballots and voter guides
• How to vote: Pass out voter tips on how to vote or get help voting
OCT: VOTER EDUCATION
Voter Education
• Do Voter Education Only: Provide nonpartisan voter education on ballot measures
• Make an Endorsement: Take a position for or against a ballot measure
OCT: BALLOT MEASURES
BallotMeasures
• Create visibility: Make the election visible at your agency and in your communications
• Promote Early Voting: Encourage people to vote early by mail or in person
• Promote Election Day voting: Contact constituents about voting on Election Day
OCT: GETTING OUT THE VOTE
GOTV
• Make Election Day a special, celebratory day!• Reminders to vote in the last few days are effective• Time off for staff
ELECTION DAY
ElectionDay
• Promote: If results were good or activities successful, let your audience know what you did to get out the vote
• Debrief & Evaluate: Review what you did to inform your future election work
POST-ELECTION
Post-Election
• Factsheets, Guides, Toolkits and more available at www.nonprofitvote.org
RESOURCES
Resources
RESOURCES
Resources
617.357.VOTE (8683)
www.nonprofitvote.org
Nonprofit VOTE89 South StreetSuite 203Boston, MA 02111
Lindsey Hodel
Julian Johannesen
