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Project Vote
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| Project Vote | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Year founded: | 1982 |
| Website: | Official website |
Project Vote (or Voting for America, Inc.) was a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization. Project Vote's website stated, "Through advocacy, litigation, and technical assistance, Project Vote is fighting to make sure that every eligible citizen is able to register, vote, and cast a ballot that counts."[1] It was founded in 1982 by Sandy Newman.[2]
The organization suspended operations indefinitely on May 31, 2017. The organization stated the following in its announcement:[3]
| “ |
The funding environment for voting rights and civic engagement work has never been easy, and it has grown increasingly challenging over the past few years as foundations have cut back on their giving in this area, the civic engagement environment has been restructured, and competition for limited funding has increased. For a single-issue nonprofit like Project Vote—without a diverse portfolio of work to fundraise on—we were ultimately forced to admit that our current model had become unsustainable.[4] |
” |
Project Vote had three primary programs: the Voter Participation Program, the Election Administration Program, and the Government Agency Registration Program.
Work
In its announcement that it would suspend operations, Project Vote said it had accomplished the following:[3]
| “ |
We helped millions of Americans get registered to vote through our direct engagement projects, and we’ve trained countless organizations to run efficient, effective voter registration drives. We’ve won lawsuits in more than a dozen states to enforce the NVRA and ensure low-income Americans were provided the opportunity to register to vote, and we estimate this work alone has accounted for at least three million additional registrations. We’ve pushed back against suppressive legislation—particularly around voter registration issues, which was our primary focus—and helped pass laws in many states to make it easier for eligible Americans to register and vote.[4] |
” |
Voter Participation Program
According to Project Vote's website, its Voter Participation Project developed and ran "large-scale voter registration drives and Get Out the Vote programs that placed paid canvassers—occasionally volunteers—of local community organizations in high traffic sites in neighborhoods of color."[5]
Election Administration Program
Project Vote's Election Administration Program was, according to the group's website, focused on "protecting registration drives from unnecessary restrictions; advocating for laws, policies, and procedures that remove barriers to registration and voting; and ensuring that list maintenance activities do not wrongly disenfranchise voters."[6]
Government Agency Registration Program
Project Vote's website stated that this program assisted "states, social service agencies, motor vehicle offices, and election officials with implementation of the NVRA’s [National Voter Registration Act] requirements. In addition to technical assistance, the Program conducts research, documents noncompliance and, when necessary, initiates litigation to enforce the NVRA."[7]
Project Vote and ACORN
Project Vote conducted voter registration drives in partnership with ACORN ahead of the 2008 election. A Project Vote press release stated that the groups helped 1.3 million Americans register ahead of that election.[8] Project Vote coordinated voter registration campaigns with ACORN prior to 2008 and partnered with ACORN on several lawsuits.[9][10][11]
Project Vote and Barack Obama
Barack Obama directed a Project Vote registration drive in Chicago during 1992. Sandy Newman, a friend of Barack Obama's, recruited Obama to return to Chicago and head up a third-party voter registration effort on behalf of Project Vote. According to Obama, the objective of the 1992 program was to organize and assist minority and other disenfranchised communities to get out to vote.[12]
Obama recruited and helped train 700 deputy registrars and organized a targeted media campaign aimed at getting minorities to vote. According to Chicago Magazine, "More than 150,000 new African-American voters were added to the city's rolls" ahead of the November 1992 election.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Project Vote, "Home," accessed December 18, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chicago Magazine, "Vote of Confidence," January 1, 1993
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Project Vote, "Project Vote to Close Its Doors on May 31st," May 25, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Project Vote, "Voter Participation," archived July 23 2017
- ↑ Project Vote, "Election Administration," accessed December 18, 2019
- ↑ Project Vote, "Government Agency Registration," accessed December 16, 2019
- ↑ Project Vote, "Project Vote and ACORN Announce Completion of Historic Voter Registration Drive," October 8, 2008
- ↑ Project Vote, "Partner: ACORN," accessed December 16, 2019
- ↑ New York Times, "A big increase of New Voters in Swing States," September 26, 2004
- ↑ TIME magazine, "Fighting for every last vote," October 18, 2004
- ↑ YouTube, "Barack Obama 2008 Campaign video: Barack Obama and the History of Project Vote," March 21, 2008
