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Nonprofits increase voting Findings from 2012

Nonprofits increase voting Findings from 2012. Presented by. &. About us. Nonprofit VOTE partners with America’s nonprofits to help the people they serve participate and vote. We are the leading source of nonpartisan voter engagement resources for the nonprofit sector.

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Nonprofits increase voting Findings from 2012

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  1. Nonprofits increase votingFindings from 2012 Presented by &

  2. About us Nonprofit VOTE partners with America’s nonprofits to help the people they serve participate and vote. We are the leading source of nonpartisan voter engagement resources for the nonprofit sector. CIRCLE (The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement at Tufts University)conducts research on civic education and young Americans’ voting and political participation, service, activism, and other forms of civic engagement Find more about our mission and partners on our websites: www.nonprofitvote.org www.civicyouth.org About

  3. Today’s presenters Kei Kawashima - Ginsberg Deputy Director CIRCLE Isela Gutiérrez-Gunter Research Associate and Latino Outreach Coordinator Democracy North Carolina George Pillsbury Executive Director Nonprofit VOTE Who

  4. agenda • Background • Study Design • Demographics and Turnout • What Works • Implications Agenda

  5. Participation Gaps Over half of all eligible voters were not contacted by a campaign in 2012. Source: American National Election Studies, 2008 and 2012 Survey of Political Involvement and Participation in Politics

  6. Youth turnout in national elections Reduced contact in midterm elections contributes to lower turnout including youth voters

  7. What’s Missed • Political Voice:Non-voters show higher support for nonprofit and government services • Personal Benefits: People who register connect with neighbors and engage in community affairs • Power for Organizations: Nonprofits whose constituents vote have greater access and clout Background

  8. A role for Nonprofits • Access and Trust: Nonprofits have unique access to underrepresented populations • Reverse Door knocking: People “knock” on our doors for services. Background

  9. Study Design

  10. WHO’S INVOLVED • Partners in 7 states: Recruited participants • 94 nonprofits: Community health centers, multi-service agencies and other service providers • 33,741 voters: Tracked face-to-face voter engagement with voters at their agency Design

  11. Tracking the Nonprofit Voters • Registrations and Pledges: People were asked to register to vote or sign a pledge to vote • Matching to Voter File: Nonprofit Voters matched to voter file for demographics/turnout • State VAN: Matching • Catalist: Analysis Design

  12. Demographics and turnout:Quantitative Findings

  13. Nonprofit Voters a Diverse Group Nonprofit Voters were a much more diverse group of registered voters than registered voters in the general population. Quant

  14. Nonprofit voters had high turnout Nonprofit Voters outperformed their counterparts in the general population by 6 points.

  15. By race and ethnicity Latino and Asian American Nonprofit Voters out- performed their counterparts by 18 points.

  16. Closing voter turnout gaps Nonprofit Voters turned out at comparable rates with only small disparities by race or ethnicity.

  17. By Income Lower income Nonprofit Voters outperformed their counterparts by as much as 15 points.

  18. By Age Young Nonprofit Voters under age 30 outperformed their counterparts by 15 points.

  19. Propensity To Vote • Catalist assigns every individual a propensity to vote score on a scale of 0-100. • Campaigns focus mobilization on individuals with a propensity between 30 and 70. • Individuals with lower propensity scores are frequently neglected. Turnout

  20. By Propensity Very low propensity Nonprofit Voters turned out a rate 3 times that of their counterparts.

  21. conclusions • Higher Turnout: Voters contacted by a nonprofit where they receive services turned out at higher rates than the general population. • Less Disparities: Turnout by Nonprofit Voters was more consistent across all demographics of race, income, and age. • Greater reach: Nonprofits reach and turnout voters campaigns don’t contact. Turnout

  22. Nonprofits andvoter engagement:What Worked

  23. Case studies and interviews • How Many: 16 case studies and 27 interviews • Purpose: To learn more about what makes nonprofit voter engagement successful • Motivation: To advance their mission and build power and efficacy for the people they serve What Worked

  24. Leadership and staffing The biggest challenge was recruiting staff and volunteers motivated to do the work • Plan ahead to identify staff and volunteers • Provide training both on the how-to and importance of the work What Worked

  25. Identify Tactics Integrate voter engagement into an ongoing program or service • Target a program where people have time to engage - like when signing up for a benefit or in a class • Table in high traffic area at your center or at a nonprofit event What Worked

  26. Support from partners Nonprofits benefited from training and assistance from partners • Get help from a partner who can answer questions about the election or provide volunteers or materials • Connect to your local election board What Worked

  27. Outreach materials Good materials answered questions and started conversations • A handout on rights of ex-offenders to vote…or a ballot measure • Pledge cards, posters or small giveaways What Worked

  28. Plan ahead The most successful organizations planned ahead • For the November midterm • Have a plan of your activities and staffing 5-6 months ahead • Plan for your most intensive voter engagement activities two months before election What Worked

  29. National Voter Registration Day • National Voter Registration Day is the 4th Tuesday in September. That’s September 23rd, 2014. • Start planning now! What Worked

  30. Implications • Personal contact by “trusted messengers” remains the most powerful approach to mobilization • Nonprofits uniquely reach and turnout populations least expected to vote • Mobilizing under-represented groups improves the quality of our democracy Implications

  31. resources • Factsheets, Guides, Toolkits and more available at www.nonprofitvote.org Resources

  32. Download report • www.nonprofitvote.org/evaluating-the-impact-of-nonprofits-on-voter-turnout • Full Report • Executive Summary • Case Studies • Waking the Sleeping • Giant – SPaCE report Resources

  33. 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 Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg kei.kawashima_ginsberg@tufts.edu Isela Gutierrez-Gunter isela@democracy-nc.org

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