There is no question about the significance of the 2024 elections from the presidential race on down to every single local race. I'm pretty sure I don't have to convince you on that front. Nor do I have to convince you how much your clients' votes matter. Both in the larger sense, but also in terms of ensuring that we have elected officials who support policies and the allocation of resources that will in concrete ways help make your clients' lives better. 

The simple fact is you can't vote if you aren't registered. And that's where you come in. As a nonprofit, you and your team are in a uniquely valuable position to help your clients take the critical step of registering to vote, which is the first step in making their voice heard at the ballot box. Here's something you might not know: Low-income voters engaged by non-profits are 15% more likely to vote than folks in that same cohort who don't hear from a nonprofit about registering.

Your voice and credibility really matter to the people you serve. And your offering to help them register to vote might make the difference as to whether they decide to participate in this election. One of the most common reasons that people haven't registered so far, is that no one has ever asked them. It's very possible that you will be the first person that has ever asked your client to register. 

In this episode, we share:

• Three levels of voter registration support you can offer your clients, from basic to advanced
• The two most important questions to ask your clients to move them to register to vote
• The top national resources to help you do advanced-level voter registration work with your clients
• How to engage and support clients to register if your service model doesn’t involve in-person contact with them
• How to help your clients successfully navigate restrictive voting laws designed to suppress the vote
• What you and your clients need to know about ID requirements for registration and voting, and how to navigate them
• Key actions you can take to support voter registration by immigrants who are US citizens

Links to valuable resources mentioned in this episode:

Vote.gov – The one-stop resource for you and your clients to access key info on how to register in a particular state, and how to reach your local elections office. This site is run by the US government.

State Guides to third-party voter registration. These are an indispensible resource for advanced voter registration work.

Nonprofit VOTE – They specifically help nonprofits engage your clients in registering to vote. 

Fair Elections Center – Co-creators (with Nonprofit VOTE) of the state guides. They also fight against voter suppression laws and other attempts to restrict voting access.  

If you found value in this episode, please share it with other progressive nonprofit leaders.  And I’d be grateful if you would leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts, which will help even more people find out about this podcast.

Thanks!