Defending Nonpartisan Civic Engagement Groups

Nonpartisan civic engagement groups are a core part of building a better democracy from the ground up. Despite their work to help voters participate in democracy, civic engagement groups have come under attack, undermining their critical work to expand access to democracy and violating their First Amendment rights. 

Our democracy works best when every voter can participate, and civic engagement groups empower voters to be part of the political process. Policies that limit their right to conduct outreach to voters actively harm voters, especially marginalized communities who have historically been excluded from the political process. Beyond just targeting voters, laws targeting the activities of civic engagement groups specifically take aim at the ability of nonpartisan, public interest organizations to help people navigate confusing systems — restricting and penalizing a core aspect of democracy. 

Campaign Legal Center has been working alongside clients and partners in multiple states to fight back against these attacks. Panelists discussed the latest attacks on nonpartisan civic engagement, how those attacks make it more difficult for civic engagement groups to conduct their work and for voters to access the ballot box, and, finally, touched on potential solutions to protect and strengthen civic engagement work.