For a nonprofit running a grassroots advocacy program, election work can make sense—as long as you follow the rules.
The Internal Revenue Service prohibits 501(c)(3) nonprofits from getting involved in partisan political campaigns or supporting or opposing candidates. But it leaves room for other types of nonpartisan activities, such as voter registration and education.
For organizations that are willing to avoid partisan work and stick to activities that increase civic participation, there is much that can be done.
Allowable Election Activities
What kinds of activities are allowed? Here are some examples:
- Issue Education. As long as the activity is nonpartisan, nonprofits can educate their audience on issues—even if those issues are at play in the election.
- Voter Education. Nonpartisan, unbiased information explaining which candidates are on the ballot, or similar information that educates voters, is allowed.
- Voter Registration. Urging people to register in a nonpartisan way and helping them do so is allowed. So is explaining the rules for absentee voting, voting by mail, or sending email to remind people of registration and voting deadlines.
- Get Out The Vote (GOTV). Providing information that helps get out the vote, such as a link to locate the address of polling places, is all allowable activity.
The Steps to a Basic Election Program
A nonprofit that is new to election work can combine some of these activities into a basic nonpartisan election program that is designed to increase civic participation and urge people to vote.
Here are some steps to take:
- Announce the Program. A short email letter from the head of your organization can explain what you are doing and why the election is important to your issues. Just make sure to use nonpartisan and unbiased language.
- Offer a Pledge to Vote. Encouraging your audience to sign a pledge to vote is like asking them to sign a petition. It does not obligate them to do anything. It simply says they are willing to commit to casting a vote. If you launch the pledge drive early, you can promote it throughout election season. If you get enough pledges, you can announce your numbers to your audience.
- Send Email Reminders. Your organization can provide timely and useful information such as links to check voter registration, deadlines for mail-in or absentee voting or links to find a polling place on election day. Just make sure you are using solid, nonpartisan sources of information and verify that the information is accurate.
- Celebrate Voting on Election Day. On election day, you can ask your supporters to send in pictures with their “I Voted” stickers. You can then use these pictures on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook to thank and congratulate your supporters for voting.
Of course, there is far more that your organization could do. But remember that everything you add to your program increases complexity. For an organization just starting out, a better strategy is to keep things simple and make sure that you do everything correctly. You can always increase the scope of the program in the next election.