1. BEING NONPARTISAN: Guidelines for 501c3 Organizations Presented by All attendees will receive a copy of this PowerPoint presentation and a link to the recorded webinar

2. Founded in 2005, Nonprofit VOTE partners with America's nonprofits to help the people they serve participate and vote. We are a leading source of nonpartisan training, materials and other resources for nonprofits doing voter engagement work. Find out more about our mission and partners on our site www.nonprofitvote.org ABOUT US About

3. TODAY’S PRESENTER Who George Pillsbury Senior Consultant Nonprofit VOTE

4. Our voices are not being heard Voter engagement and advocacy work go together Nonprofits have unique access and assets When we do this work, we are extremely effective! WHY VOTING MATTERS Why This Matters

5. AGENDA  Prohibition on Partisan Political Activity  Nonpartisan Voter Registration  Engaging Candidates  Ballot Measures  Issue Advocacy  Staff Activities and Social Media Agenda

6. The one sentence prohibition “A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization may not support or oppose a candidate for public office” -1954 amendment to US Tax Code BEING NONPARTISAN -ONE RULE - 1954 History

7. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization may not - Endorse candidates Donate money or resources to candidates Rate or rank candidates on their positions compared to yours NO PARTISAN POLITICAL ACTIVITES Being Nonpartisan

8. Comparing candidates It’s ok to compare candidates in questionnaires and voter guides. Keep your opinion out of it. Criticizing candidates Avoid making statements about candidates. You may correct a factual misstatement related to your issue. RANKING CANDIDATES – Two examples Being Nonpartisan

10. LEGISLATIVE SCORECARDS Released February 19, 2016

11. WHAT NONPROFITS CAN DO The IRS makes it clear 501(c)(3) nonprofits may conduct a wide range of voter engagement activities on a nonpartisan basis including – Register Voters Engage Candidates Conduct voter and civic education Encourage people to vote Being Nonpartisan

12. 1. VOTER REGISTRATION

13. Promote voter registration –Announce deadlines. –Provide information on where and when to register to vote. Conduct voter registration –Table in your lobby or events. –Register staff and volunteers. –Do a voter registration drive. COMMON NONPARTISAN ACTIVITIES Voter Registration

14. No endorsements: May not suggest which party to join. May say what it means to register “unaffiliated” Know your state’s rules: VOTER REGISTRATION GUIDELINES Voter Registration www.nonprofitvote.org/voting-in-your-state/

15. 2. ENGAGING CANDIDATES

16. At your events Sponsor candidate forums Do a candidate questionnaire Share your policy ideas WAYS TO ENGAGE CANDIDATES Engaging Candidates

17. At an event Invite all the candidates running for the same office Treat candidates as guests – no campaign materials allowed Remind audience it’s a nonpartisan event and thank candidates for attending Engaging Candidates CANDIDATES APPEARANCES Elected officials may be invited to speak in a non-candidate capacity.

18. Question: Can a candidate who is invited to an event make a short statement about their candidacy from the podium? Answer: No. CANDIDATE APPEARANCES (POLL) Engaging Candidates

19. Cover a range of issues or topics within your own issue area Provide equal time for the candidates Ask all candidates* to attend *viable Have at least 2 candidates to be a “forum” CANDIDATE FORUMS Engaging Candidates

20. A range of issues Not just yes or no Send to all the candidates If a candidate doesn’t respond - may list “no response” or use official statements from the candidate’s website CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRES Q: What make it partisan? A: If you indicate a correct answer Q: What make it partisan? A: If you indicate a correct answer Engaging Candidates

21. 3. BALLOT MEASURES

22. Ballot measures are about laws or constitutional amendments Activity on ballot measures is lobbying. It’s influencing the passage or defeat of a law– not the election or defeat of a candidate 501c3 nonprofits may work for or against a ballot measure as a lobbying activity BALLOT MEASURES Ballot Measures

23. 4. VOTER EDUCATION AND GET OUT THE VOTE

24. How, where and when to vote –Early Voting –Voter ID Needed –Using a voting machine Voter Education VOTER ED – THE PROCESS OF VOTING

25. VOTER ED – SAMPLE BALLOTS, VOTER GUIDES Voter Education Stay Neutral when mentioning the names of candidates

26. 501(c)(3)s may - Provide voter assistance Conduct get-out-the-vote drives Remind staff and constituents to vote GET OUT THE VOTE Get Out The Vote Don’t say who to vote for Don’t wear candidate swag Don’t say who to vote for Don’t wear candidate swag

27. 5. ISSUE ADVOCACY & WHAT STAFF CAN DO

28. Factors to consider - Increasing advocacy activities during the election season could be partisan History of work on an issue in the past is a key nonpartisan factor ISSUE ADVOCACY Issue Advocacy “501(c)(3) organizations may take positions on public policy issues, including issues that divide candidates in an election for public office.” - (IRS)

29. WHAT STAFF CAN DO Staff Activities Nonprofit staff may engage in partisan activities, such as supporting a candidate, outside of normal work hours Q: What about social media? Don’t use organizational accounts for partisan purposes - including sharing, retweeting Free to use your personal accounts CEO or senior staff should be more careful

30. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU GRADUATED! Being Nonpartisan

31. MORE RESOURCES

32. info@nonprofitvote.org 617.357.VOTE (8683) www.nonprofitvote.org Nonprofit VOTE 89 South Street Suite 203 Boston, MA 02111 George Pillsbury gpillsbury@nonprofitvote.org Julian Johannesen julian@nonprofitvote.org