Nonprofit VOTE Engaging With Communities Historically Excluded From Voting

For nearly 20 years, Nonprofit VOTE has engaged 60,000 workers at 120 nonprofit organizations nationwide to register to vote, including young people.

According to Nonprofit VOTE’s website and executive director, Brian Miller, the organization works to provide nonpartisan resources to nonprofits across the United States, helping them integrate voter engagement into their ongoing activities and services. Nonprofit VOTE's annual report states that seven out of ten voters believe nonprofits should offer voting services to constituents.

“[Nonprofits] have missions and values of community empowerment that transcend the politics of the day,” the annual report states. “This gives them an unmatched advantage at engaging voters typically overlooked by partisan groups and campaigns who have very-short term goals focused on a day in November.”

Nonprofit VOTE reaches nonprofits across the United States, engaging with communities. These organizations include direct-service nonprofits, such as food pantries and community health centers, as well as community-based organizations and grassroots groups. Miller said these nonprofits are the ones directly engaging with potential voters.

One example of an organization with which Nonprofit VOTE has engaged is The Human Service Chamber of Franklin County, Ohio. Miller said the group had only three staff members who joined their network. One of these members ran the Highland Youth Garden, which produces fresh food for a diverse neighborhood.

Miller added moments like this show how Nonprofit VOTE’s work “ripples outward” from regional partners to local sites.

“It’s a cascading, snowflake-like effect: small initiatives multiplying into widespread impact,” Miller said.

Nonprofit VOTE has several programs and initiatives to engage voters using resources from engaged nonprofits. One is their general resources and training, which they ensure are accessible by offering closed captioning, alternative image naming, and more.

Miller said their resources are designed to assist nonprofits at various stages in getting the communities they serve ready to vote. These materials include fact sheets, informative guides, and webinars, which Miller said reach over 3,000 nonprofit leaders each year.

Miller added that in recent years, these materials have transitioned to digital formats due to the “dramatic shift” in voter engagement spaces over the past few years. For example, Miller said that Nonprofit VOTE held a webinar before the 2024 general election to discuss disinformation and misinformation caused by artificial intelligence.

“Our partners consistently demonstrate that this tailored model of civic engagement goes beyond participation to foster dignity and empowerment,” Miller said.

Miller also said non-profits were 1.3 times more likely to engage with young voters aged 18 to 24. The Pew Research Center has referred to Generation Z as “digital natives” because they are the first generation with little or no memory of a time before smartphones.

Beginning in 2025, Nonprofit VOTE also added a new program called “Getting Started.” Miller said that, unlike their virtual webinars, which typically include over 100 participants, Getting Started is a monthly, smaller meeting with fewer than 30 attendees for organizations new to voter engagement, teaching them those skills.

However, in terms of the biggest challenges Nonprofit VOTE faces, Miller said there is “distrust” and “disillusionment” among communities that have been historically excluded from voting. But Miller said nonprofit organizations engaging with communities and providing voting resources help increase voter turnout for these groups.

Looking ahead to next year, Miller said Nonprofit VOTE is focusing on the 2026 midterms, where they want to build a field program with state-based organizations and expand the work of their national staff.

Miller added that the organization stays motivated by “centering community voices” and “maintaining strong relationships” with organizations.

“In the long term, we aim to close participation gaps and ensure inclusive democracy, where all voices are represented and included,” Miller said.

Maggie Rhoads is a student journalist attending George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs. At The Fulcrum, she covers how legislation and policy are impacting communities.

Maggie was a cohort member in Common Ground USA's Journalism program, where Hugo Balta served as an instructor. Balta is the executive editor of the Fulcrum, and the publisher of the Latino News Network.

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