Nonpartisan & 501c3-compliant

What Makes a Voter Guide 501c3-compliant and Nonpartisan?

Federal tax law permits nonprofit 501c3 organizations to develop and distribute materials about political candidates’ positions on issues, in order to educate voters impartially and on a nonpartisan basis; meaning that it is free from party affiliation, bias, or designation. The IRS states that 501c3 organizations may conduct any range of activities to promote voter participation and educate voters so long as it is nonpartisan. But, 501c3 organizations are explicitly prohibited from supporting or opposing candidates for public office.

Some of the activities 501c3 nonprofits MAY perform:

Conduct or promote voter registration

Educate voters on the voting process

Distribute nonpartisan sample ballots, candidate questionnaires, and voter guides

Organize get-out-the-vote activities

Encourage and help people to vote

Educate the candidates on issues important to their organization

Continue to do issue advocacy during an election

So, first and foremost: Church Voter Guides does NOT endorse or oppose any candidates for public office or any political party.

Second, all of our staff and volunteers are required to act in a nonpartisan manner when working for or representing the organization and the creation of the voter guide.

Third, we do not edit, revise, or editorialize candidate responses to our questionnaire. We do not even correct typos. Candidate answers are published verbatim, ensuring that their responses accurately represent their positions and perspectives on these issues. We then simply share this information through the voter guide, and you decide whom you believe to be the best candidate.

To be fair and impartial, we reach out by email, and text and phone when determined necessary, to all registered candidates running for the elections for which we are preparing Voter Guides, inviting them to answer our questionnaire. If a candidate did not respond at all, or did not choose to participate, or did not choose to respond to certain questions in the questionnaire, then that is noted where applicable.  If there are not enough candidates running for a specific election for that municipality to conduct an election, then we do not produce a voter guide. If in a specific election none of the candidates running for the office answered our questionnaire, then we do not produce a voter guide for that district…but we DO list the candidate’s names and email addresses, so that citizens may contact them directly.