Voter Registration Faces Threats Nonprofits Can’t Ignore

(Nonprofit Quarterly)- Political leaders are taking steps to gut nonpartisan voter registration programs and put the federal government in control of voter eligibility. These changes threaten the ability of nonprofits to provide critical support to underrepresented groups so they can exercise their right to vote. For millions of Americans, this could mean being left out of the democratic process, with no voice in elections that shape their lives.

Tom Lopach, president and CEO of the Voter Participation Center, a nonprofit focused on registering people of color, unmarried women, and young voters—three groups that make up what the organization calls the New American Majority—described the severity of the situation to NPQ: “We’ve seen an unprecedented effort to reduce access to voting on so many levels.” He noted that executive orders, federal and state legislation, court rulings, and policy and staffing changes across government agencies form “a multi-pronged attack on voting.”

Many of these measures trace back to President Donald Trump’s March 25 executive order that attempts to reshape how federal agencies and election officials run voter registration and elections. While critics called the order unlawful and unconstitutional, and parts have been stopped by the courts, other elements are moving forward.

Policies are now in force that prohibit nonprofits from registering new citizens to vote at naturalization ceremonies, curb college voter programs, and expose voter data to misuse. On top of that, a proposed bill—the SAVE Act—could impose additional burdens on voters that could effectively end nonprofit voter registration programs.