Nonprofits Are One Key to Increasing Voter Turnout
Community impact organizations have a vested interest in public policies that affect the individuals and families that they serve. At United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, we believe all nonprofits should do their best to encourage their staff, board members and volunteers—as well as their clients—to be engaged citizens.
Research from Nonprofit VOTE demonstrates the power of nonprofits in increasing voter turnout:
- Voters engaged by nonprofits are more likely to be from communities historically underrepresented in our democracy, including people of color, low-income earners and young voters.
- Voters engaged by nonprofits showed a measurable turnout boost of 3% points over comparable voters.
Clearly, nonprofits are a powerful voice in voter engagement. A recent survey from Independent Sector found that 57% of respondents trust nonprofits, making them the most trusted sector when compared to government, business and media. The survey also found that Americans trust nonprofits to reduce national divisions more than they trust corporations, government or media.
Voter engagement is particularly important as we draw closer to November’s election, which includes races for local, state and federal offices. Both national and local elections have a direct impact on our community’s quality of life. While presidential and statewide races have broad impact for a region like North Texas, important local decisions about housing, public safety, education and other issues can shape neighborhoods and cities for generations.
Read on to learn more about our recent Voter Engagement Training, as well as how to engage your clients, employees, board members and volunteers about voting.
United Way Is Leading the Conversation on Voter Engagement
On June 27, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas held a special Voter Engagement Training, in partnership with Nonprofit VOTE, for local nonprofits. During our event, we highlighted the critical role that nonprofits play in increasing voter turnout and shared powerful strategies and resources, including:
- How to build authentic community engagement skills to improve the effectiveness of voter engagement work and have more systemic, long-term impact
- How to create a voter engagement plan for integrating community engagement practices into your current voter and community engagement work
- Best practices for training staff/volunteers on community engagement and leadership development
- The nonpartisan election activities that nonprofits can and can’t do
- Voter registration rules under Texas law
We’d like to offer a special thanks to our voter engagement trainers, Allison Brim, Capacity Building Strategies, LLC; Natalie Roetzel Ossenfort, Alliance for Justice Bolder Advocacy; and J’La Dade, Dallas County Elections Department.
And thank you to the North Texas organizations that participated in this special event:
- Bachman Lake Together
- Faith in Texas
- March to the Polls
- DFW Metro NAACP
- Prism Health North Texas
- SAAVETX Education Fund
- Somos Tejas
Talking to Your Clients About Voting
For nonprofit professionals interested in engaging voters ahead of the November election, we’re sharing key tips to help you get started.
For your clients, clearly communicate the following:
- The last day to register to vote is Oct. 7.
- The dates of early voting are Oct. 21 through Nov. 1. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
- They can visit VoteTexas.gov to find voting locations close to them and a list of what they need to bring, including voter registration and ID.
- Remind them they can vote in person or through mail-in ballot, but be sure to provide deadlines. The deadline to return a mail-in ballot is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 (Election Day) at 7 p.m. if carrier envelope is not postmarked, OR Wednesday, Nov. 6 (next business day after Election Day) at 5 p.m. if carrier envelope is postmarked by 7 p.m. at the location of the election on Election Day (unless overseas or military voter deadlines apply).
- Direct them to helpful resources. It’s best to link to either the official voting authority sources in your area or to a trusted aggregator of voting-related information with dedicated staff working to confirm the information is always current and accurate. The Secretary of State and County Elections Administrators sites are good places to start:
- Secretary of State: Texas elections are overseen by the Secretary of State’s office. The Secretary of State’s office publishes materials that you can use to encourage voting, like posters and information fact sheets, as well as a code that you can embed on your website to link to their official informational resources: www.votetexas.gov/resources/voter-id-education-materials.html
- County Elections Administrators: www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/links.shtml#County
- Thank them for their time and willingness to vote!
Talking to Your Team and Supporters About Voting
For your staff, board and volunteers, clearly communicate the following:
- Ask them to consider how their vote will support the work of your organization.
- Post simple and direct messages through internal channels or social media. For example, “Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 5!”
- Encourage discretion as they post on social media about supporting certain parties or candidates. Consult organizational policies regarding guidelines and best practices.
Additional Resources
Here are some helpful tools to get you started on your voter engagement journey.
Voter Engagement Resources
Texas Voter Resources
- Paper voter registration PDF *Must print and mail after filling out
Learn More
At United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, we encourage all North Texans to make their voices heard by voting and through advocacy. If you, your clients or your supporters are looking for additional information about this year’s general election, view our voter and advocacy information below:
- Be an empowered voter. Visit our Voting Guide to learn everything you need to know to cast your ballot.
- Do you know your rights as a Texas Voter? Check out our Voter Bill of Rights.
- Advocacy doesn’t end on election day. Sign up to receive our advocacy alerts and monthly Policy in Brief to continue to stay informed.
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Be an Empowered Voter
Visit our Voting Guide to learn everything you need to know to cast your ballot.
