Wooing Voters ON THE Web.

As the congressional and presidential elections approach, organizations are stepping up their online advocacy efforts to turn members into voters.

FROM THE TIME OF OUR FIRST CIVICS LESSON, we're reminded of the importance of becoming informed citizens and exercising our right to vote. For associations--especially those with larger memberships and a strong lobbying influence--having members who actively participate in the political process can make a substantial difference in getting the association's legislative agenda heard on the Hill.

When it comes to federal elections, however, the rules surrounding nonprofit advocacy can be tricky and confusing. A nonprofit organization's allowable level of involvement in an election varies depending on its tax-exempt status. (See sidebar, "Nonprofits" Involvement in Political Campaigns.")

Even if your organization's allowable participation in election activities is limited, it may encourage its members to vote. Using your Web site to facilitate voter registration and get-out-the-vote programs is an effective way to create awareness and promote civic responsibility.

Get online to get out the vote

Your Web site can be a valuable tool for promoting voter registration, informing members about issues that affect the organization, and involving them in the political process. Get-out-the-vote efforts focus on encouraging voters to turn out on Election Day, providing basic voting information, and coordinating transportation to voting sites.

At the heart of an effective online effort are providing information and access to resources. Speaking at ASAE's Legislative Summit in June, Christopher Kush, president of Soapbox Consulting, LLC, Washington, D.C., suggested implementing these four levels to build an effective advocacy component on your Web site:

* Add links to an existing site. Direct your members to a few key places on the Web where they can learn more about the elections. Provide a voter registration link on your site. (See sidebar, "Online Resources.")

* Add original content. Election-related Web sites abound, so you need to draw visitors in with high-quality content that will set your site apart from others. Make sure the information you include is newsworthy.

* Add functionality to your site. Many organizations provide an interface that allows visitors to contact Congress, send e-mail, get voting records, and so forth.

* Add multimedia capabilities. You want your site to attract visitors--video and sound can broaden appeal. Keep it simple, taking care not to add so much that you overload the computer.

The American Heart Association, Dallas, incorporated these steps in its online advocacy efforts. AHA developed a multimedia presentation for its Web site as part of Take Heart 2000, an initiative designed to help educate congressional and presidential candidates on heart and stroke issues. "The presentation has a dual purpose--it was shown at our delegate assembly meeting to inform our own audience about what we're doing," explains Kelly Kennai, communications manager for advocacy at AHA's Office of Public Advocacy, Washington, D.C. "We also posted it on our Web site for the general public to see.

This is the first project of its kind for AHA, so it's still too early to evaluate its effectiveness, Kennai notes. "But we're definitely encouraged by technology and the fact that people are starting to use it more and more."

Stirring up interest in politics

As more people flock to the Web to get information, association leaders are capitalizing on this trend by combining traditional advocacy efforts with online components that offer easy opportunities to get involved. The National Restaurant Association, Washington, D.C., instituted "Recipe for Victory," a campaign designed to encourage members to become active in the political process. Programs include voter registration drives, get-out-the-vote efforts, and "Votes To Go," an absentee ballot program.

"The goal is to develop a voting block within the industry and to encourage restaurateurs and employees to get out and vote," says President and Chief Executive Officer Steven C. Anderson, CAE. "It's good citizenship and it's also good association management."

This year, the association--which represents an industry composed of 831,000 restaurants that employ 11 million people--formed two new partnerships to step up its efforts to increase voter turnout. One is with Rock the Vote, an organization founded by members of the recording industry that aims to register young people to vote.

Anderson also notes the association's use of a trend-setting online political source: "We're working with Voter.com and using it as a vehicle to reach our more politically active members." He says that because of the size of the industry, communicating online is an efficient way to convey a message. "We've found that our more politically active restaurateurs are going to the site," he notes. "We're getting more hits than we have previously on our political content and getting more feedback from our members."

Anderson encourages associations to pursue online efforts to get members involved, but warns that it isn't the answer for all organizations. "Every industry is different," he explains. "The most important thing is to know your members." You can put almost anything online, but if your members don't use the Internet often or don't have access, it may not be the best approach, he cautions. "We spent a lot of time surveying our members, asking things like how often they use the Internet, do they have their own sites....

"It does matter to our industry who becomes president and who gets elected in Congress," he emphasizes. Associations can't underestimate the power they have."

The Information Age:

reaching voters of all ages

AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons), Washington, D.C., also uses the Web to underscore the benefits of political activism. With 34 million members, advocacy is a big priority, says Molly Daniels, director of AARP/VOTE, a nonpartisan voter education program developed in 1986.

"So many of the issues being debated on Capitol Hill are issues that directly affect our members and their families," Daniels says. "I hear from a lot of people who say that advocacy is also an issue for their kids, who are thinking about caring for their elderly parents. These issues really affect families economically."

In 1998, AARP partnered with MCI and Rock the Vote to launch NetVote 98, a voter registration and information Web site designed to urge Americans to participate in the political process. This year, visitors to AARP's Web site can link to BeA Voter.org, the latest incarnation of NetVote, which AARP sponsors along with America Online and MCI WorldCom. Going online allows AARP to track how many people sign up to register to vote.

"Sometimes people ask, 'Aren't most seniors registered to vote already?' Yes, many of them are. But we also use it to invite our members to send an e-mail (with a link to the site) to encourage their kids and grandkids to vote," Daniels explains.

As part of this voter education campaign--the most aggressive in the organization's history-AARP sent staff to Iowa and New Hampshire more than a year ago to make the campaign issues known and to begin get-out-the-vote efforts. "A lot of our members are online-they are the fastest-growing population online, and we take that very seriously," she points out. Hoping to capitalize on the increasing number of 'Net-savvy seniors, AARP/VOTE developed an online component in both states and made voters guides available on the site.

"We know seniors vote in high numbers, and we know voters guides can be influential," Daniels continues. "A lot of organizations take a position, but voters seem to think we're right down the middle. And I think a lot of people say, 'Let's see what AARP is doing' because they see us as a source that's nonpartisan and neutral."

AARP/VOTE organized a 20-state, 17-day bus tour that began in Philadelphia with the Republican convention and ended in Los Angeles before the start of the Democratic convention. A shrink-wrapped bus (designed to allow people to add their signature to it and "express themselves") toured 23 cities as part of a campaign called AARP Voter Express. The Web site was updated as the tour progressed, allowing members to track its route and view pictures of activities across the country.

Daniels believes the Internet is changing the face of electoral politics. "I think the Web is where a lot of future advocacy lies," she says. "If you're involved at the beginning, rather than trying to catch up to everyone else, you're going to be much more effective. We're very excited about the possibilities."

Jane Eisinger is assistant editor of ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT.

PUNDITS PREDICT:

A Look at the Looming Elections

QUESTION: Who will be the next president of the United States? As Election Day drawn nearer, it's a question on the mind of many. The outcome may be of particular interest to association executives, as they prepare to adjust to a new administration and its policies, as well as potentially shifting congressional seats.

Although public and media attention is focused on who will win the White House, the presidential race isn't the only one to watch--what happens in the House and Senate is equally important to the association community. With 33 Senate seats open and control of the House riding on a small number of races, the party that comes out ahead may be too close to call until Election Day.

BRUNO SAYS. Speaking at ASAE's Legislative Summit in June, Hal Bruno, senior political analyst for Politics.com, offered several predictions. "The American people will reject anything they perceive to be radical or extreme he said The middle of the road is what wins elections." However, the outcome could depend on something unpredictable, such as the state of world affairs, the Clinton administration, and the economy in November--factors that will be crucial to Vice President Al Gore, he noted.

"Pay attention to the state polls," he advised. "Those 270 electoral votes are what count." Several states automatically vote Democratic or Republican, giving Gore a base of about 184 votes and Texas Governor George W Bush about 167, according to Bruno.

"There are five states to watch--New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois-this is where the American presidential election is usually won or lost," he said. And three states--Ohio Illinois, and Missouri--have been right in 12 out of 13 elections in the past 50 years, so it s wise to watch those votes closely as well. The deciding factor, Bruno added, maybe which candidate runs the best campaign and makes the fewest mistakes.

COOK PREDICTS. Charlie Cook, editor and publisher of the Cook Political Report, also weighed in at the Legislative Summit with his thoughts on the upcoming elections. An unprecedented amount of money is going into the congressional races because the stakes are so high, with many of the races too close to call. Cook said a Republican less of a few seats is likely but there isn't much chance that they will lose control of the House.

Independent voters, he predicted, will determine who becomes the next president. "The swing voters think Gore is smarter and has more experience, but they see him as too political he indicated They like and trust Bush but aren't sure if he knows enough [to serve as president]"

Cook agrees that if the election is determined only by the state of the economy and Clinton s approval rating, Gore will win. "But I think the election is a lot bigger than that," he added. "It's really about change versus continuity. People are not looking for policy change but they are looking for enormous stylistic behavioral change."

The question is, can Gore convince undecided voters that his presidency would be different enough from Clinton's? Tune in November 7 to find out.

NONPROFITS' INVOLVEMENT in Political Campaigns

Organization with a 51(c)(3) tax status may raise the visibility of their issues but may not participate or intervene in a campaign for public office or endorse specific candidates. Voter education materials must be balanced and impartial--public communication may not betray a bias.

Organizations with the tax status of 501(c)(4) or (c)(6) may engage in election activity, but with significant restrictions placed on them by the Internal Revenue Code and the Federal Election Commission Act. Organizations that are permitted to endorse candidates must becomes familiar with funding and communcations rules--for a detailed explanation of nonprofit advocacy and election regulations, consult the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Election Commission.

ONLINE RESOURCES

The Web can be a valuable tool for learning more about elections and political issues, hut the amount of information available can be overwhelming. The following sites offer election-related information and are good starting points for those interested in learning more about the fall campaigns and the candidates.

VOTER REGISTRATION

* www.BeAVoterorg: Sponsored by AARP, America Online, and MCI WorldCom, this site provides a voter registration form in English and Spanish. Organizations can link to the site or use one of the free Web stickers to promote it.

* www.rockthevote.org: Rock the Vote, founded in 1990 by members of the recording industry, aims to encourage young people to become involved in the political process. The site has a voter registration link as well as information about other ways to participate.

* www.fec.gov/pages/faqs.htm: The Federal Election Commission's answers to frequently asked questions about voting and voter registration.

ELECTION 2000

* www.c-spanorglcampaign2000/: News, speeches, upcoming events, video archives, and links to parties and candidates.

* www.politics.com: Information about candidates, donations, and links to the latest news about the campaigns.

* www.voter.com: A comprehensive site that provides information about state races. discussion forums, and links to columns and commentary about the elections.

* govotespeakout.com/election2000 /index.asp: For those who still aren't sure how their views on campaign issues line up with the candidates' views, this site offers a quiz that matches you with the presidential candidate whose views most closely resemble your own. You'll also find plenty of information about all of the presidential and congressional candidates, including a searchable directory of 5,000 political sites.