AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS
ACT NOW Museum Advocacy Update

Voter Information for Every State Available on AAM Website!

Are you registered to vote? Do you need registration forms or wonder about your state's deadlines? Would you like to share this information with your visitors and staff?

AAM's advocacy website now contains voter registration information for all 50 states, including eligibility requirements, registration deadlines and forms, and even information about absentee ballots. AAM's website also now offers free web buttons that you can download to your own website to promote voter registration.

"Museums are critical centers of civic and educational activity, often teaching about history and democracy – some museums even serve as neighborhood polling places,” said AAM President Ford Bell.  “I encourage museums to provide voter registration information to the communities they serve, and I’m glad that AAM can help in these efforts."

You may be wondering:  Can my nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization encourage voter registration?  The answer is yes, as long as voter registration programs are not in any way connected to the endorsement of or opposition to a specific candidate or political party.

According to the IRS, "Section 501(c)(3) organizations are permitted to conduct voter education activities (including the presentation of public forums and the publication of voter education guides) if they are carried out in a non-partisan manner.  In addition, section 501(c)(3) organizations may encourage people to participate in the electoral process through voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, conducted in a non-partisan manner."  You can read more about the rules here.

For additional information about AAM’s Voter Information page or advocacy for museums, contact AAM’s Grassroots Manager Ember Farber at efarber@aam-us.org or visit www.speakupformuseums.org.

Visit the AAM website at www.aam-us.org today!