Vote Save America (VSA) is an online voter guide operated by the left-of-center political media company Crooked Media. VSA’s Adopt a State campaign steers activists who do not reside in battleground states to volunteer in the effort to win elections in those states for left-leaning candidates in 2020. The website provides training videos and other teaching tools to prepare activists. ^{1 2 3}

Defeating President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and flipping the U.S. Senate to Democratic control are also major VSA priorities. VSA, in conjunction with the left-leaning fundraising portal ActBlue, works to raise funds to support left-leaning and Democratic candidates. ^{4 5 6}

Background

Vote Save America (VSA) is an online voter guide operated by the left-of-center political media company Crooked Media. ⁷ The site provides access to voter registration (including vote by mail options) information about the electoral college, and materials to assist in voter mobilization. The web portal also provides guidance for activists who wish to volunteer or find political employment with left-leaning political efforts in battleground states. ^{8 9}

Opposition to President Trump

A top goal of VSA is to “vote out Donald Trump” in 2020. ¹⁰

The VSA website includes a tab for “The Candidates” that features both major-party presidential nominees: Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. A reader clicking on the Biden image is taken to a web page providing largely favorable information about Biden (i.e.: “He also logged a ton of miles on Amtrak, and has a deep, unabiding love for aviators, trains, and ice cream”). ¹¹ Clicking on the Trump image sends a reader to a page displaying sharply negative language about Donald Trump, such as stating some of his business ventures failed and that calling him president or noting he graduated from a university are “incredible” statements. ¹²

Adopt a State Campaign

VSA launched an Adopt a State campaign for the 2020 election with the aim of steering activists who do not reside in the battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin to volunteer in the effort to win elections in those states for left-leaning candidates. VSA states “delivering a progressive majority in 2020” as the goal of the project. A series of training videos, including state-specific issue videos, was created to teach prospective out-of-state volunteers how to participate in phone banks and voter mobilization efforts. ^{13 14}

The program also includes state-specific websites providing information regarding why each battleground state has that status and is important to the 2020 election outcome. ¹⁵

Fundraising for the Left

The “Every Last Vote Fund” is a partnership between VSA and left-leaning lobbying organization PowerPAC to raise money to mobilize voters of color in battleground states. The money raised is supposedly pledged to assist activist organizations in those states. Examples of intended recipients listed included “Souls to the Polls in Wisconsin; the Florida Immigration Coalition in Florida, and Arizona Wins in Arizona.” The donations are received through the left-leaning fundraising portal ActBlue. ¹⁶

VSA’s “Get Mitch or Die Trying” campaign is a fundraising portal to raise money to defeat the reelection campaign of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). The campaign also raises funds to help Democratic candidates seeking to win 2020 U.S. Senate races in Colorado, Maine, North Carolina, Montana, Iowa, Georgia, Alabama, and Michigan. ^{17 18}

1. “Terms of Service.” Vote Save America, 2020. Accessed August 1, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/terms-of-service/.
2. “Adopt a State.” Vote Save America. Accessed August 26, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/adopt-a-state/
3. “Resources.” Vote Save America, 2020. Accessed August 1, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/resources/.
4. “Partnerships.” Vote Save America, 2020. Accessed August 1, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/partnerships/.
5. “Get Mitch or Die Trying.” ActBlue. Accessed August 1, 2020. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/getmitch.
6. “Save America: Donations List.” Accessed August 26, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/save-america/#donations-list
7. “Terms of Service.” Vote Save America, 2020. Accessed August 1, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/terms-of-service/.
8. “Partnerships.” Vote Save America, 2020. Accessed August 1, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/partnerships/.
9. “About.” Vote Save America. Accessed August 26, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/about/
10. “Partnerships.” Vote Save America, 2020. Accessed August 1, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/partnerships/.
11. “Joe Biden.” Vote Save America. Accessed August 26, 2020 https://votesaveamerica.com/candidate/joe-biden/.
12. “President of the United States Donald Trump.” Vote Save America. Accessed August 26, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/candidate/donald-trump/
13. “Adopt a State.” Vote Save America. Accessed August 26, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/adopt-a-state/
14. “Resources.” Vote Save America, 2020. Accessed August 1, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/resources/.
15. “The Road to the White House.” Vote Save America, 2020. Accessed August 1, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/whitehouse/.
16. “PowerPAC.org.” ActBlue. Accessed August 1, 2020. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/vote-save-america.
17. “Get Mitch or Die Trying.” ActBlue. Accessed August 1, 2020. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/getmitch.
18. “Save America: Donations List.” Accessed August 26, 2020. https://votesaveamerica.com/save-america/#donations-list