Nonprofit votes count – that’s the message some nonprofits aim to get out this fall ahead of local and state elections around the country as a warm-up to the 2016 presidential election.
The campaign launched today, led by Independent Sector, National Council of Nonprofits, United Way Worldwide, and Nonprofit VOTE, to encourage nonprofit staff, board members and volunteers to register and vote.
“Nonprofit Votes Count” is a nonpartisan voter engagement effort with registration resources, including a registration toolkit, that are available at NonprofitVotesCount.org, and on social media with the hashtag #NPVotesCount. The website includes answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about voting and staying nonpartisan, as well as sample engagement dialogue, posters, stickers and more.
During the week of National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 22, Nonprofit Votes Count will ask organizations to check if all of their eligible staff, board members and volunteers are registered to vote in the November elections. If they’re not, organizations are encouraged to help them get registered to vote.
“When it comes to civic engagement, it is critical that, as nonprofits, we practice what we preach. This campaign will help grow our collective impact and bring new voices into the conversation,” said Geoff Plague, vice president of public policy for Independent Sector, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization.
“Nonprofits operate in every community in America, solving problems and serving local needs – every year, every month, every week, and every day – not just every four years when there is a presidential election,” said Tim Delaney, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits in Washington, D.C. “State and local elections matter too, so this campaign makes it easy for all nonprofits to promote the most fundamental element of civic engagement: Voting,” he said.
For more information, visit www.NonprofitVotesCount.og
— Mark Hrywna
