Why Nonprofits Need to Register People to Vote NOW

Nonprofits are in the business of listening.

To clients, to communities, to staff, to volunteers, to funders, and occasionally to that one board member who insists fax machines are “state of the art.”

But there’s one place where people’s voices matter just as much — and where they’re too often missing: the ballot box.

Helping people register to vote isn’t about politics. It’s about voice. It’s about agency. It’s about making sure the people you serve aren’t just spoken for — they’re heard loud and clear.

And yes, it’s legal. 

You should seize the moment while you still can because…  

1. People can’t be heard if they’re not registered

This is the civic equivalent of trying to speak at a meeting while muted on Zoom.

You can wave your arms, make faces, and even yell.

But unless you hit “unmute,” no one hears a thing.

Voter registration is the “unmute” button for democracy.

Many nonprofits serve people who face real barriers to registering — transportation, time, paperwork, language, or simply never having been asked. When you help someone register, you’re not being political. You’re handing them the mic.

2. It’s completely legal for 501(c)(3)s

Let’s clear this up once and for all:

Nonprofits can absolutely help people register to vote as long as it’s nonpartisan.

You can’t say, “Vote for the person who will save civilization.”

You can say, “Would you like help registering to vote?”

The IRS is very clear: nonpartisan voter registration is allowed. And, state level rules are easy to follow too.

3. When people’s voices are heard, your mission gets stronger

Every nonprofit leader knows that policy decisions shape the world you’re trying to improve.

You can run the most brilliant program on earth, but if the policy environment is working against you, you’re basically trying to row a boat with a spatula.

Helping people register to vote not only empowers them, it strengthens the ecosystem your mission depends on.

Your organization already amplifies voices every day.

Helping people register to vote ensures those voices echo where it counts.

4. Asking people to register builds trust (and sometimes sparks joy)

There’s something powerful about saying to someone, “Your voice matters.”

Especially when they haven’t heard that enough.

And sometimes, voter registration moments are genuinely delightful:

• The client who says, “No one ever asked me before.”

• The volunteer who becomes a registration evangelist.

• The staff member who discovers the QR code is magic.

• The board member who suddenly wants to register everyone at the annual gala.
  

These moments deepen relationships and reinforce what nonprofits do best: affirm people’s dignity.

5. It’s easy, fast, and wildly impactful

You don’t need a new department. You don’t need a consultant. You need:

• A table

• A device

• A QR code

• A nonpartisan script

• A willingness to ask
  

That’s it.

Democracy works better when the people you serve are heard.

If you’re a nonprofit leader, here’s your invitation: Make voter registration a normal part of your work.

Make it a habit.

If you have ANY questions, please go to https://www.nonprofitvote.org/can-nonprofits-register-voters/ 

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Pat Libby is a change management consultant working principally with nonprofit corporations. She is author of The Empowered Citizens Guide: 10 Steps to Passing a Law that Matters to You, Oxford University Press, The Lobbying Strategy Handbook, second edition, Oxford University Press, and Cases in Nonprofit Management, SAGE. She has served as an academic, senior executive, board member, and consultant to innumerable nonprofit organizations and foundations for more than three decades.

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