Wednesday, December 03, 2008

The National Campaign for Fair Elections, a project of the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights, has launched an effort encouraging people to contact their congressional representatives to express their desire for universal voter registration. Under the desired proposal, voter registration would be automatic and permanent.

To learn more about the campaign's efforts and to view or sign the campaign's computer generated form, click here.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

The National Council of Nonprofits launched a new Nonprofit Economic Vitality Center yesterday. The center was created because the most frequently asked question lately is: How is the economic downturn affecting America's nonprofits?

The Economic Vitality Center is a free online clearinghouse of resources designed to help nonprofits understand and deal with the challenges created by the faltering economy. The center has three focus areas:

• Basic Facts & Analysis
• Impact on Nonprofits
• Proactive Positioning- Action Steps for Nonprofits

The center is updated continuously with new resources and helps nonprofits to adapt to changes in the economy as they happen.

Monday, November 10, 2008

The American Constitution Society hosted a call on Nov. 6 in which voting rights experts discussed voting issues that occurred before and during the election, as well as what happens now that the election is over.

The panelists were Allison Hayward, a George Mason Law Professor and former Chief of Staff and Counsel for Federal Election Commissioner Bradley Smith, Pamela Karlan, a Stanford Law Professor and voting expert, and Daniel Tokaji, an Ohio State Law Professor and Associate Director of OSU's Election Law Project.

Tokaji discussed election administration issues, such as voter registration and voter suppression. Tokaji said that the big issue surrounding voter registration is not voter fraud, but rather the amount of voters who omitted from voter lists. He also discussed the role that Election Day voter registration has in the reduction of the use of provisional ballots. Tokaji said that he would like to see more Election Day registration because it increases turnout and decreases the use of provisional ballots. He added that there is no proof that Election Day registration results in voter fraud.

Haywood discussed various topics including how this election illustrated that a well-designed website can raise money and how the election will impact the possibility of new rules surrounding publicly and privately funded campaigns. In responding to a question about how the role of the Justice Department and Federal Election Commission will change under a new administration, she said that Justice Department will probably be more aggressive in voter registration at DMV and social service agencies.

Karlan, responding to a question about how the role of the Justice Department and Federal Election Commission will change under a new administration, said that the Inspector General is still investigating voter fraud and there has been little effort to help those who have been erroneously excluded from voting. She said that a new administration would probably focus more on those excluded from voting. She also discussed the impact that small donations may have on federal election law.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

On November 3, 2008, the Aspen Institute officially launched its Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation. The new program will use seminars, leadership programs, and evidence-based discussion to strengthen and inform the nonprofit sector so that people are able to contribute to society, both domestically and internationally.

The new program will encompass the following:

• Leadership development initiatives for philanthropists, foundation officers and emerging social sector leaders
• Evidence-based examples of practitioners from the social, public, and private sectors on issues requiring the attention of grant-makers and grant-seekers alike
• Strategic communications and advisory services to advance the generation and dissemination of knowledge

Monday, November 03, 2008

With only hours left until we'll be out at the polls, watch a short video this election eve!

Posted by Kelly Doherty

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

• What is Voter Suppression: Many people don't know the wide variety of tactics being used to limit people's votes. This section allows people to contribute their knowledge on the issues that are impacting voters.
• Incident Tracker: Offers a standard template for each report where you can report or view reports of suppression activity.
• Action Center: You'll find groups and specific campaigns that are working to protect voters and their votes.

The Voter Suppression Wiki is not a partisan effort, nor was it established on behalf of either of the presidential candidates for office.

The Gilbert Center is offering a live online seminar on Wednesday, December 10th from 12:15pm until 1:45pm (PDT). The Seminar, A Sustainable Model for Engagement of Staff, Volunteers, and Donors is considered to be an increasingly powerful vehicle for management, training, organizing, and the relationship building with stakeholders: allies, staff, volunteers, and donors.

The seminar will help viewers understand how to...

• assess the strengths and weaknesses of online presentations for your material and needs
• avoid the common pitfalls of online presentations
• maximize the outcomes and leverage the impact of any given seminar
• decide what technical features you need for the kind of presentation you want to make
• put together an affordable, sustainable delivery platform with maximum flexibility and minimum lock-in.

Register now and receive a free copy of Communication Centered Technology Planning, 2nd Edition

Posted by Kelly Doherty



Too Young to Vote, But Electing to Care

The Washington Post featured an article yesterday entitled, "Too Young to Vote, But Electing to Care." In the article, Steve Hendrix, the author cites several examples of how students at high schools in and around the DC area are playing a part during this election season.

Even though they can't yet vote, two best friends from Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda have each found their niche in the political arena. One is the president of the school's Young Conservative Club and was an attendee of the Republican National Convention, volunteering for Sen. John McCain's campaign. The other is the founder of the school's Peace and Social Action Club and has been a volunteer on Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Teachers in the area describe the current student political activity as an extraordinary level of involvement by high school students in this year's election. Hundreds of local students, although they're not old enough to vote, are making phone calls, painting rally signs, knocking on doors and raising funds as each of the presidential campaigns enters its final days.

Posted by Kelly Doherty

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The National Organizer's Alliance now has a free job referral service that has been expanded for nonprofits to list their organization and allow them to connect with the thousands of activists who have been engaged this election season.

If you're considering a career in social justice for the first time, or you're looking for new opportunities, you can post your resume and browse job listings by location, issue area or skill set at no cost. The site is designed by organizers, for organizers, and will continue to be developed.

Monday, October 27, 2008

VotersUnite.org developed an election problem log following the November 2004 election. It continues its compilation of problems reported in the media by adding news stories about subsequent elections when they arise. Search by state, vendor, or problem type to find the current election problems that are impacting various jurisdictions.