You may have heard…there’s an election in a few weeks. Early voting has already begun in Ohio. Elections always have consequences and 2024 feels like a pivotal year, and everyone is talking about the potential outcomes.
The Center for Community Solutions is a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy and research think tank. As a 501(c)3 organization, IRS rules limit the amount resources we can expend in direct or grassroots lobbying, and engaging in partisan pursuits could put our nonprofit status at risk. Community Solutions' commitment to being nonpartisan goes far beyond the regulations. For us, remaining steadfastly nonpartisan is central to advancing our mission.
Many people have asked how we achieve and maintain a reputation for nonpartisan, fact-based policy analysis, and advocacy in these divided times. Below are a few ways both our organization and our staff stay nonpartisan.
Nonpartisan and Bipartisan are not the same thing.
When something is bipartisan, by its very nature it includes partisan elements, because you are evaluating which political party supports it. The bipartisan label indicates that a policy or position has support from individuals from both major parties: Republicans and Democrats. We sometimes call this “working across the aisle.” Legislation is typically more likely to be enacted if it has bipartisan support.
Similarly, nonpartisan is just what the name suggests: not partisan. Nonpartisan does not mean “no point of view.” Far from it. It means that we evaluate issues based on their merits, not who put the issue forth.
Having opinions doesn’t automatically make you partisan.
Some issues or policy positions tend to be linked to one party or another or labeled as being progressive or conservative. In times past, simply working on issues related to poverty brought the label of being “left leaning.” While continuing to advocate to improve health, social, and economic conditions, The Center for Community Solutions has found things to love and things to loathe within the policy platforms of policymakers of all stripes.
You can always find common ground, and we work with whomever is in the seat, regardless of party affiliation. That is an important aspect of remaining nonpartisan. Of course, there are policymakers we find easier to work with and those who we find more challenging, or the point of view on certain votes they take. We definitely have opinions about which solutions are likely to catalyze positive change or set Ohioans back. You can read about some of them each week in 5 things you need to know, or on our website.
Both as individuals and a collective, Community Solutions has policy preferences and come with some biases. That’s not partisan.
You can and should engage in elections or in politics and remain nonpartisan.
Being nonpartisan does not preclude an organization from engaging in activities to strengthen our democracy—like encouraging everyone, regardless of party affiliation, to vote. We can tell people they should vote; we can even drive them to the polls on election day. But nonprofits cannot, and should not, tell people which candidates to vote for.
Organizations can engage in candidate education and can invite candidates for partisan office to events—but we must make sure we are sharing similar information with every candidate and giving each equal opportunity to participate in events.
As an organization focused on catalyzing systemic change by influencing public policy, political and partisan considerations certainly influence our work. It’s important that we stay current on viewpoints of the various caucuses and how campaign spending and electoral machinations influence relationships between and among sitting legislators. This helps us understand where our advocacy resources can best be applied. We are constantly considering how our work might be affected depending on who is sitting in elected office come January and their stated policy positions or platforms. We advocate for and support policies not candidates.
Nonprofit organizations CAN take official positions on levy and issue campaigns. If our Board had opted to do so, they could have endorsed any number of statewide issues over the past several years, even though many of those issues are cast by others in a partisan light. By definition, ballot initiatives cannot be partisan. They can be mostly supported by one party or associated with one set of political positions, but that doesn’t make them partisan.
It’s a lot easier to remain nonpartisan when you listen more than you talk.
Nothing about employment at a nonprofit—even a nonpartisan one—precludes us from campaigning for a candidate in our own time as individuals. However, those who work in public policy would be wise to consider optics and how certain political activity might influence their ability to be an effective advocate and do their job. Memories are long and campaigns are very personal for the people running. It can be difficult to have a productive working relationship with a leader if you actively and publicly supported their opponent.
In my personal interactions, I often allow others tell me what they think about a candidate or issue and share little of my own opinion, a skill honed when I worked for a US Congressman and every view I shared could be misconstrued to be the policymaker’s view. People may make assumptions about your personal political affiliation or how you will vote based on where you work, where you live, or even the colors you wear, but you don’t have to correct them if you don’t want to. As you cast your ballot this November, remember, how you vote is secret. That’s as nonpartisan as it gets.
