Roughly 43 percent of eligible voters didn’t vote in the 2016 election, according to turnout estimates from the United States Elections Project. Tens of thousands of those people who didn’t vote probably work for nonprofits — the very people who understand most why local, state, and national elections are key to advancing social missions. Their voices are needed now more than ever, but the pandemic makes it harder to make sure they will vote.
However, nonprofit leaders have powerful ways to ensure that more people go to the polls. By providing nonprofit employees time off to vote, we not only take down one of the key barriers to voting, but we also send a powerful message about the organization’s values.
At Independent Sector, we have come together with other nonprofits to take a pledge through Nonprofit Staff Vote that encourages all nonprofit employers to offer workers time off to vote on or before Election Day.
In addition to giving our own staff paid time off, we want to encourage other nonprofit leaders to take similar action. Giving nonprofit staff members time off to go vote, or to volunteer at a polling location, helps them feel more connected to their own communities and inspires those closest to them to also get involved.
But giving time off isn’t the only thing nonprofit leaders can do. Here’s what else is important:
Promote early-voting opportunities: Early voting can allow voters to avoid lines and provides additional flexibility in casting a ballot before Election Day. Remind employees — and all of a nonprofit’s constituents — about their options for casting a ballot by mail or in person at an early-voting location. A smart approach is to focus attention on a national campaign to encourage workers to take October 24 off as a Vote Early holiday.
Tie the nonprofit’s mission to the election: Help voters understand the connection between voting and the services that a nonprofit provides. Without getting partisan, nonprofits can advance core values and give the people who care about essential charitable missions a reason to go to the polls.
Educate voters on the voting process: Demystify the voting process by helping voters determine where, when, and how to vote. This is especially important with the expansion of mail-in voting, a new and unfamiliar process to many.
Encourage and remind people to vote: Incorporate voting reminders into services and programs in the two weeks leading up to Election Day. Encourage everyone involved in nonprofit activities to make a plan to vote (know where their polling place is, know what’s on the ballot, etc.). Make the election highly visible in every communication.
Mobilize staff and volunteers: Educate staff and volunteers about how and when to vote and then involve them in get-out-the-vote activities.
Nonprofits employ 12.3 million people in the United States, which means they have the potential to become a potent voting bloc if organizations show leadership in these crucial days before November 3.
While most states require employers to offer some time off to vote, less than half require paid time off to vote, and a few do not require employers to give time off to vote at all. Nonprofits can do better by ensuring their staff can take the time they need to cast a ballot.
Nonprofits are the backbone of every community. That’s why their leadership is so critical to our democracy. The Nonprofit Staff Vote campaign has developed some basic guidelines we can all follow:
- Offer time off to vote: Find out the details of the state rules that apply, ensure policies are in place that comply — or improve upon — the rules, and plan to offer and publicize time off to vote.
- Nonpartisanship: Remain positive and nonpartisan. After all, nonprofits are explicitly prohibited from advancing political parties or undertaking other politicking — and it is for that reason that donors, volunteers, and others will follow their lead when they encourage their constituents to vote.
- Engage staff as voters: Share information about election deadlines, send reminders about the upcoming election, and encourage eligible voters to cast a ballot in the upcoming election.
By pledging to allow employees time off to vote, nonprofits are encouraging them to speak up for what matters to them.
Employees appreciate a workplace that offers them more than just monetary incentives. When nonprofit leaders allow them to have a day or a few hours to vote, they are making clear that they care about their workers’ lives off the job as well as on it.
As our health and economic crises force policy makers to confront new challenges, along with the racial reckoning underway nationwide, we need to make sure that the people who are most passionate and knowledgeable about helping others are casting their ballots in force. Let’s do all that is in our power to remind our employees of their crucial role as citizens.
Jeffrey Moore is chief strategy officer at Independent Sector. Brian Miller is the executive director on Nonprofit VOTE.
