What Would Orange County Look Like if Everyone Voted?
It is an important election year for the country, locally, regionally, and nationally. As part of our commitment to strengthening our communities, Charitable Ventures (“CV”) and Orange County Grantmakers (“OCG”) are reigniting the OC Votes, Get Out the Vote Campaign for the duration of the year.
Why Civic Engagement Matters for Communities
Civic engagement is one of the most powerful tools communities have to shape their future. From local elections to statewide initiatives, participation in the democratic process directly influences how resources are allocated, how policies are shaped, and how communities are represented.
Yet, many communities—particularly those that are historically underrepresented—face barriers to participation. These barriers can include lack of access to information, language limitations, or distrust in institutions.
Increasing participation is not just about voting—it’s about ensuring that every voice has the opportunity to be heard.
Why Nonprofits Play a Critical Role
Nonprofits are uniquely positioned to support civic engagement because they are deeply embedded in the communities they serve.
As trusted, nonpartisan organizations, nonprofits can:
- Share accurate, accessible voting information
- Provide culturally relevant outreach
- Build trust with historically underrepresented populations
- Encourage participation without political bias
Many organizations hesitate to engage in this work due to concerns about compliance. However, nonprofits are allowed to promote voter participation as long as they remain nonpartisan and follow established guidelines.
This means nonprofits can—and should—play an active role in strengthening democracy.
What Is OC Votes?
Launched initially during the 2020 Election and after the 2020 Census, OC Votes is a campaign developed to engage nonprofits and philanthropy – trusted, nonpartisan organizations focused on critical community issues – to strengthen Democracy through civic engagement.
We have amazing champions in this space. Nonprofits and funders on the front line of civic engagement, GOTV activities, and citizenship. However, because of the important guidelines restricting nonprofits and foundations from engaging in political lobbying, many of nonprofits and foundations tend to shy away from anything political…”just to be safe.”
We are here with an important message – it is both SAFE and LEGAL for nonprofits to encourage voting and to participate in elections if they honor the clear guidelines provided by the IRS.
We believe civic engagement and community building is the heart of the nonprofit industry, a critical strategy to meet community needs and help solve problems. We also believe that no one knows better about what the community needs…than our community itself.
Who then, would be better than nonprofits in reaching community members with trusted information about how to exercise this important civil right in our society?
In this spirit, and in solidarity with citizens and residents across the country, we are inviting our colleagues to get energized and involved in the 2024 election.
Why OC Votes
Our campaign launched yesterday with a symposium for nonprofit election engagement, with expert speakers talking about advocacy, civic engagement, the role of the media, and Orange County’s own voting infrastructure. We continuously share free resources and voting guides for distribution. We are highlighting the voices and good work of our regional civic engagement partners. We will be connecting communities to translated materials, toolkits, national organizations, and culturally relevant messaging and best practices. In the months before the election, we will are focused on offering free sessions and webinars on election law, how to recognize AI generated disinformation, GOTV strategies, and how to reach the hardest to reach communities to increase voter engagement.
We encourage everyone to use the information that is useful to mobilize the communities you serve and work with…and please remember to encourage your own staff to exercise their voting rights!
Whether you are a c3 nonprofit, a c4 nonprofit, or a community initiative just getting out the vote – we can all do our part to support democracy.
For more information, please get in touch.