Nonprofit Voter Registration & Engagement

Featuring Ohio VOTES

WILL PETRIKSTATE DIRECTOR

GAIL CLENDENINCOMM. DIRECTOR

a statewide coalition of over 470 organizations working together to promote health and human service budget and policy solutions so that all Ohioans live better lives.

Advocates for Ohio’s Future is…

We believe in

Endorse at www.AdvocatesforOhio.org

Your organization can join AOF’s work

• Help you take action for strong families and communities

• Inform & Share Resources• What’s happening at the state level?

AOF’s NEW Monthly Webinar Series

Cathy JohnstonAdvocacy Director-

COHHIO &Ohio VOTES

Rubén Castilla HerreraCommunity Organizer-Central Ohio Worker

Center &Ohio VOTES

What is your experience with voter registration and engagement?

POLL: Please respond on your screen.

✔ Make your Mark on November 4

Nonprofit Voter Engagement Training

Good Afternoon!

Today’s AgendaWho we are

Why Should Nonprofits Be Engaged?

Do’s and Don’ts

Making An Agency Voter Engagement PlanVoter RegistrationGOTV

Leave with knowledge of how, when and what you need to vote

Who We Are OhioVotes is a year-round, statewide, voter

engagement initiative. We are a project of the Coalition on Homelessness & Housing (COHHIO), a 501c3 housing advocacy organization based in Columbus.

OhioVOTES encourages nonprofits to engage their agencies and people they serve in voter registration and voter mobilization. It builds on the relationships nonprofits already have with the people they serve.

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WHY NONPROFITS?

Non Profits are Trusted Messengers

We understand the value of inclusion and empowerment

Advance our issues and mission

Engage voters with nonpartisan appeals

Inclusion & Empowerment

Nonprofits NEED to advance our issues and mission!

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local_gov

Nonpartisan Appeal

Do’s and Don’ts

Of Voter Engagement

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Do:Check with your agency director

DO: Be Nonpartisan -

Basic Guidelines for 501(c)3)s

DO:Promote nonprofit voter engagement

activities to educate the public and help them participate in elections, including:

Voter RegistrationVoter Mobilization (aka Get out the Vote)

Don’t:A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization MAY NOT SUPPORT OR

OPPOSE A CANDIDATE for public office.

Don’t• Endorse candidates• Donate money or resources to candidates• Rate candidates on single issues

Making a PlanVOTER REGISTRATION

There are different levels of voter registration activities. Consider the capacity of your organization before developing a voter registration plan

• At events, in newsletters in e-blasts or on your website, promote voter registration deadlines and how or where to register to vote.

• Talk about registering to vote at a staff or board meeting. Ask new staff if they are registered to vote.

• Put up posters advertising voter registration deadlines, along with where to get and return voter registration forms.

Level 1: Publicize and Promote

Level 2: Conduct Voter Registration on Site

• Register all new employees

• Assign and train a staff member to plan and direct voter registration activities

• Have voter registration forms available and offer to help clients register to vote at intake

• Set up a space in your lobby with cards, instructions and a drop box

Make a Voter Mobilization PlanAs with Voter Registration, gauge the capacity of

your organization before embarking on a plan.

GET OUT THE VOTE

501(c)(3)s may:

• Make the election highly visible• Provide voter assistance or refer to local

board of election or the League of Women Voters of Ohio.

• Remind staff and constituents to vote• Remind people to mail in their absentee

ballot request form if they want to vote at home.

Make October Get Out the Vote Month

GOTV PrinciplesMake it PersonalCreate VisibilityBe PositiveMake it UrgentGet Voters the Help They Need

Engaging America’s nonprofits in voting and elections

http://www.nonprofitvote.org/#89 South Street, Suite 203

Boston, MA, 02111Phone: 617-357-8683

Fax: 617-478-0378Email: info@nonprofitvote.org

Voting in OhioVoter Registration

Three Ways to Vote in Ohio

Voter ID

Ohio Voter RegistrationVoter Eligibility

You must be a citizen of the United States.

• You must be a least 18 years old on or before the day of the general election.

• You must be a a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election in which you want to vote.

• You are not currently in jail or in prison for a felony conviction.

• You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court

• You have not been permanently disenfranchised for violations of election laws.

Ohio Voter Registration

Voter Registration Deadline is October 6

Frequent Errors on Form

Voter Registration Voters who are

HomelessVoters who are homeless in Ohio can register

and vote. Voters who are homeless may use the address

of a shelter or other location.Ohio law states: If a person does not have a

fixed place of habitation, but has a shelter or other location at which they have been a consistent or regular inhabitant and to which the person has the intention of returning that shelter or other location shall be deemed the person’s residence for the purpose of registering to vote.

Voter Registration & Criminal Records

National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)

The National Voter Registration Act: Made it easier for Americans to vote and to

maintain their voter registration.. Requires states to offer voter registration

for all offices that provide public assistance.

Ohio Voter RegistrationVoter registration forms are available here:

County Boards of ElectionsOhio Secretary of StatePublic librariesPublic high schoolsBureau of Motor VehiclesDepartment of Job and Family Services

agencies

Voter Registration

You cannot register TO VOTE online in Ohio.

Visit MyOhioVote.com

Check & Update Your Voter Registration

If you move . . . If you change names . . .

If you have moved you can update your voter registration onlinewww.MyOhioVote.com

Change Address OnlineMyOhioVote.com

Ohio Voter Registration If your agency will be collecting

voter registration forms they must be turned into the Board of Elections or the Secretary of State’s office within 10 days from completion.

For a complete guide to Voter Registration see the Secretary of States Voter Registration Instructions to be found at MyOhioVote.com

Three Ways to Cast Your Ballot 2014

1. Vote by Mail (Absentee Ballot)

2. Vote Early In-Person3. Election Day Voting

1. Vote by Mail (Absentee Ballot)

Vote by MailChange in Law for 2014: Absentee ballot

forms require more information this year! You must provide this information for your ballot to be counted. Be sure to follow all instructions carefully.

Vote by MailAbsentee Voting begins September 30. If you

mail in your absentee ballot, it must be postmarked no later than November 3.

You can drop off your completed ballot at your Board of Elections before the close of the polls at 7:30 pm on Election Day.

2. Vote Early In-Person

Vote Early In-PersonEarly in-person voting begins September 30 for

November 4 General Election. Call your local Board of Elections for voting

locations.

www.MyOhioVote.com

Vote Early In-PersonNovember 4 General Election Early In-Person

Hours:**On Sept. 4, 2014, a federal judge ruled that Ohio must restore early voting times that had been cut, including:

Early voting will begin Sept. 30, 2014 for the Nov. 4 general election.

Evening hours and Sunday hours for early in-person voting must be set.

This ruling is being appealed.Check with your local county board of

elections or visit www.MyOhioVote.com

Election Day Voting

Many polling locations and precincts have changed since the last election. It’s a good idea to confirm your current polling place and precinct before you go vote, by contacting your Board of Elections or looking it up online at:

www.MyOhioVote.com

Make sure you have acceptable forms of ID

Cell phone bill, utility bill, government document from this calendar year

Voter ID

Ohio Contacts

614-469-1505 Carrie Davis, LWVO Executive Director,

cdavis@lwohio.org

Cathy Johnston, OhioVOTES Director, COHHIO

614-280-1984, X25

cathyjohnston@cohhio.org

Materialswww.ohvotes.org

www.lwvo.org

www.MyOhioVote.com

http://www.afj.org

Contact Cathy Johnston 614-280-1984 x25 if you have difficulty locating

needed materials

TAKE ACTION: MAKE A VOTER ENGAGEMENT PLAN

• Select a method of voter engagement

• Get materials you need from Board of Elections,

Ohio VOTES website or other source

• Choose a point person in charge of the project

• Get registrations turned in on time (within 10 days)

Q&A

• Unmute using the phone icon on top

center of your computer screen or by

pressing *6 on phone

• Type your question into the chat bar

COMING UP NEXT

Webinar on October 9, 3-4:00 P.M.

MEDICAID UPDATE & HEALTH CARE ADVOCACY

Advocates for Ohio’s Future510 East Mound Street, Suite 200Columbus, OH 43215www.advocatesforohio.org

Will Petrik | 614-602-2464wpetrik@advocatesforohio.org Gail Clendenin | 614-602-2463gclendenin@advocatesforohio.org