Ensure Your Staff Can Vote
Fewer than half of states mandate paid time off to vote. Nonprofit Staff Vote is a civic participation initiative, led by Nonprofit VOTE, that encourages nonprofit leaders to modernize their organization’s existing voting policy to include paid time off for employees who wish to cast their ballot during early voting or on election day. While policies that authorize unpaid time off accommodate most employees, it still imposes a barrier that requires employees to choose between voting and lost wages.
Nonprofits can make a difference by leading with policies that allow their employees to vote early to help reduce long lines and provide ample time for staff to serve voters in their communities. In 2020, Independent Sector signed on as a flagship partner for the Nonprofit Staff Vote campaign to offer employees paid time off to vote on or before Election Day. Join our efforts to ensure nonprofit leaders set an example for all industries.
Use the following resources to develop a time off to vote policy or update your nonprofit’s existing policy:
Step 1: Review Your State’s Voting Leave Policies
When Election Day nears, employers should prepare to respond to employee requests for time off to vote. While there is no federal law mandating voting leave, most states require employers to provide their employees with time off from work to vote in an election. Before implementing a time off to vote policy, nonprofit employers should first familiarize themselves with the applicable leave laws in their respective state.
Step 2: Craft & Implement Your Time Off to Vote Policy
These sample policies outline different ways nonprofits may ask staff to notify their organization that they are taking time off to vote and when they should take that time. Ensuring nonprofit staff members are aware of your time off to vote policy is almost as important as having it. Promoting it during staff meetings, posting it in your internal communication, and sharing it over email can all be effective ways to publicize your policy. Nonprofit executives can use this email template to inform their employees and stakeholders about their organization’s policy change.
Step 3: Inspire Other Nonprofit Leaders
Whether you want to share your policy or encourage others to do so, posting on social media can be a good strategy for spreading the word. Sample social posts can be accessed here. Digital newsletters and peer-to-peer emails are also effective methods to inspire nonprofit leaders to take action.
Bonus Step: Give Time Off to Serve Voters in Your Community
Some organizations offer time off to be poll workers or to volunteer in nonpartisan civic activities. In some cases, organizations pay the difference between the poll worker wage and the nonprofit staff person’s regular wage. Examples of this policy can be viewed in these YMCA and Feeding America case studies.
Ensure Your Staff Can Serve During Election Cycles
With each election, millions of volunteers dedicate themselves to strengthening the backbone of democracy. Nonprofits will be essential in ensuring that elections are conducted safely and securely as election officials nationwide anticipate longer wait times, litigation, and election system challenges. Nonprofit organizations are well-positioned to offer solutions that address essential electoral needs, including the need for volunteer training, diverse recruitment, and election workers who are not considered high-risk to COVID or flu to staff in-person voting locations.
As the most reliable source of information, nonprofits are unequivocally equipped to address widespread election anxiety as we navigate through the recent policy changes and delays of the certification process. By interfacing with constituents through volunteer engagement and election management opportunities, nonprofit staff can help mitigate confusion during the election cycle.
Volunteer Engagement
Service opportunities for nonprofit staff members and volunteers are as follows:
Volunteer Map: Nonprofit employees can use the National Voter Corps’ Volunteer Map to serve voters nationwide or within your local communities. Click on any state or D.C. to identify state and local organizations seeking volunteer help. Volunteer opportunities with national organizations can be accessed here.
Rideshare2Vote: Volunteers are at the soul of Rideshare2Vote’s operations. Volunteers will receive on-boarding & training sessions held online to equip them with the most rewarding volunteer experience imaginable. Choose an area of interest to put the wheels on democracy!
Poll Worker: When polling places close, it becomes more difficult for voters to access the ballot box. Nonprofits can help to resolve this by recruiting a new generation of poll workers who can ensure safe and fair access to the ballot box. Poll workers often serve as the face of voting locations to inform voters of election processes and procedures, assist with the use of voting equipment, prepare the polling location, and more. A state-by-state compilation of election worker laws, regulations, and statutes can be accessed here. Power the Polls provides objective data collected from over 5,000 jurisdictions in states across the country, including information on poll worker compensation, hours, application links, and training and voter registration requirements.
Nonpartisan Phone Banking: A proven and effective method to virtually educate voters, expand civic participation, and increase voter turnout. Phone and text banking serves as an opportunity for nonprofits to empower our communities with timely voting information, tools, and resources. Before starting, use the enclosed packet provided by Nonprofit VOTE to identify best practices.
Election Protection Volunteer: A national resource with field programs and/or voter assistance hotlines to help volunteers identify various ways to support upcoming elections, including opportunities to monitor polling places, serve as a watchdog to report inaccuracies, resolve misinformation, or engage in community outreach to educate constituents about their voting rights.
Voter ID Assistance: Nonprofit volunteers are critical to every component of voter participation. This includes the need to provide voters with ID information and assistance. VoteRiders offers a variety of volunteer options for nonprofits to serve their communities, including direct voter outreach and virtual voter assistance.
Volunteer Match: The largest, nationwide directory of virtual volunteering opportunities to help servant leaders find opportunities to make a difference without leaving their home.
The Nonprofit Voter Empowerment Project is a nonpartisan campaign developed by Independent Sector in partnership with Nonprofit VOTE to support nonprofits as they work to increase voter participation among their staff, grantees, volunteers, and constituents. Use our digital resources to educate your stakeholders and members.
