BEING NONPARTISAN: Guidelines for 501c3 Organizations

1. BEING NONPARTISAN:Guidelines for 501c3 Organizations Presentedby

2. A national hub of voter engagement resources and trainings to help nonprofits integrate nonpartisan voter participation into ongoing activities and services. The voter participation partner of the National Association of Secretaries of State for the nonprofit sector Visit our website for more on our mission and partners: www.nonprofitvote.org

3. Today’s presenters Julian Johannesen Director of Research and Training Nonprofit VOTE George Pillsbury Director Nonprofit VOTE Who

4. BEING NONPARTISAN:Guidelines for 501c3 Organizations Presentedby

5. Vote November 6th! Agenda

6. WHY VOTING • Advance our mission and our issues • Build clout for the work we do and people we serve • Get our ideas in front of candidates Why Voting

7. WHY NONPROFITS Trust and respect in our communities Accessto underrepresented populations Interest in the positive role of government Why Nonprofits

8. agenda • Being Nonpartisan: The Basic Guidelines • Voter Registration • Voter Education • Candidates and Ballot Measures • Get Out The Vote • Issue Advocacy • Staff Activities on personal time • Resources and tools Agenda

9. BEING NONPARTISAN: Basic Guidelines for 501(c)3)s

10. WHAT’S PARTISAN - THE ONE RULE A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization may not support or oppose a candidatefor public office. • May not – • Endorse candidates • Donate money or resources to candidates • Rate candidates on single issues Being Nonpartisan

11. WHAT’S A SINGLE ISSUE

12. WHAT NONPROFITS CAN DO Nonprofits may conduct nonpartisan voter engagement activities to educate the public and help them participate in elections, including - Voter Registration Voter Education Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Candidate Forums Being Nonpartisan

13. KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE • Facts and Circumstances • Rule of Thumb • Activities to help people to register and vote are more nonpartisan • We have to be more careful when interacting with candidates Being Nonpartisan

14. VOTER REGISTRATION

15. VOTER REGISTRATION • Promote voter registration • Announce deadlines • Provide information on where and when to register to vote • Conduct voter registration • Set up a table in your lobby • Register voters at citizenship ceremonies, high school graduations • Do voter registration drives Voter Registration

16. VOTER REGISTRATION GUIDELINES • No endorsements:May not suggest which party to join or candidate to vote for • Federal restrictions: HeadStarts, CAAs and AmeriCorps • Know your state’s rules:Use our 50 state guide. Coordinate with your local election office Voter Registration

17. VOTER EDUCATION

18. How, where and when to vote Early Voting Voter ID Needed Civic Education VOTER EDUCATION:The Process of Voting Voter Education

19. VOTER EDUCATION: Candidates and Issues Sample Ballots and Voter Guides Candidate Questionnaires Send to all candidates Include a broad range of questions Keep questions open-ended Publish full answers Voter Education

20. CANDIDATES and BALLOT MEASURES

21. CANDIDATE ENGAGEMENT 4 Ways to Connect to Candidates on a nonpartisan basis Engaging Candidates Invitecandidates to an event Ask questions at town hall Sponsor a candidate forum Send candidates your policy ideas

22. CANDIDATE FORUMS Engaging Candidates Cover a range of issues or topics within your own issue area Provide equal time for the candidates Ask all candidates to attend Have at least 2 candidates to be a “forum”

23. CANDIDATES APPEARANCES Elected officials may be invited to speak in a non-candidate capacity Engaging Candidates Invite all the candidates running for the same office Treat candidates as guests – no campaign materials allowed Remind audience it’s a nonpartisan event and thank candidates for attending

24. CANDIDATE ENGAGEMENT RESOURCES

25. BALLOT MEASURES Ballot Measures Ballot measures are about laws or constitutional amendments • Activity on ballot measures is lobbying. It’s influencing the passage or defeat of a law– not the election or defeat of a candidate • 501c3 nonprofits may work for or against a ballot measure as a lobbying activity

26. GET OUT THE VOTE AND ELECTION DAY

27. GET OUT THE VOTE Make October Get Out the Vote Month Get Out The Vote 501(c)(3)s may - • Make the election highly visible • Provide voter assistance • Remind staff and constituents to vote • Conduct get-out-the-vote drives • Help people obtain mail ballots

28. ELECTION DAY Election Day Give staff time off:To vote or do nonpartisan election activities Become a poll worker:  Consider being a poll worker or a translator Have you voted?:Ask everyone if they voted or need help voting Celebrate Democracy: Make Election Day special. Have a party.

29. ISSUE ADVOCACY AND MORE

30. ISSUE ADVOCACY Issue Advocacy “501(c)(3) organizations may take positions on public policy issues, including issues that divide candidates in an election for public office.” (Internal Revenue Service 2006)

31. ISSUE ADVOCACY Issue Advocacy Factors to consider - • Increasing ongoing advocacy activities during the election season • History of work on an issue in the past is a key factor • Responding to an external event is often safer

32. WHAT STAFF CAN DO Nonprofit staff may engage in partisan activities, such as supporting a candidate, outside of normal work hours Must remain nonpartisan on the job or when representing the organization Staff Activities

33. RESOURCES ON BEING NONPARTISAN Images of resources

34. MORE RESOURCES www.nonprofitvote.org Resources

35. info@nonprofitvote.org 617.357.VOTE (8683) www.nonprofitvote.org Nonprofit VOTE 89 South Street Suite 203 Boston, MA 02111 George Pillsbury gpillsbury@nonprofitvote.org Julian Johannesen julian@nonprofitvote.org