On November 8, voters will decide who fills 5,920 state legislative seats in 93 statewide offices, including 12 governors, 10 attorney generals, and the secretary of state in 8 states. These elections are taking place alongside thousands of local city, county, judicial, school district, and special district elections. The outcome of every single one of these elections will have an outcome on America’s nonprofits and the people we serve. This is why Goodwill Industries International is one of nearly 2,000 nonprofits partnering with Nonprofit Vote to promote National Voter Registration Day (NVRD).
What is NVRD?
Started in 2012, National Voter Registration Day has become the nation’s largest one-day effort to register individuals to vote. Held on the fourth Tuesday of September (this year, September 27, 2016) the day includes coordinated field, technology and media efforts to create awareness of voter registration opportunities and reach thousands of voters who may not otherwise be engaged. In short, NVRD is about democracy.
What does this have to do with Goodwill®?
Nonprofits whose communities vote have more access to elected officials, increased clout on issues and are in a better position to advance their mission thereby strengthen their public policy agenda. Goodwill agencies regularly interact with people missed by traditional voter registration campaigns; getting these individuals registered to vote contributes to a more active citizenship and an electorate that more fully represents our communities.
Voting not only empowers the people we serve by giving them a voice, but can boost the advocacy efforts of Goodwill. Voter engagement gets us a seat at the table— after all, elected officials can’t listen to voters who don’t vote. Voter engagement can also raise the profile of nonprofits. Candidates and their campaigns seek out and respond to communities with higher voter registration and turnout rates.
How can I get involved?
Make sure you yourself are registered to vote (especially if you have recently moved), promote an event in your area, or simply share information about NVRD via social media, emails, or on the web – partner involvement is easy and the key to a successful event. Find more information here: http://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/.
