Andrew Goodman Foundation (AGF) is a left-of-center nonprofit that advocates for student voting through lawsuits, supporting legislation, and on-campus get-out-the-vote campaigns.

AGF is named for Andrew Goodman, a college student who joined Freedom Summer, a 1964 civil rights voter registration drive in Mississippi who was murdered along with two other civil rights activists by the Ku Klux Klan. ¹ Current AGF president and former board member Charles Imohiosen is a cousin of Andrew Goodman. ² His predecessor as president, David Goodman, was Andrew’s brother. ^{3 4}

Vote Everywhere

Andrew Goodman Foundation runs the Vote Everywhere program, which promotes student voting on university campuses by training a network of students (known as ambassadors) who register voters. As of November 2022, Vote Everywhere has held more than 5,700 events on 81 college campuses and has registered almost 105,000 voters. ⁵

In Spring 2022, the AGF partnered with the Harvard Kennedy School to study patterns in the Vote Everywhere program. ⁶

In 2020, the AGF started the Historically Black College and University Cohort of Vote Everywhere in response to alleged “youth voter suppression” efforts. As of November 2022, the Cohort has expanded the number of historically Black colleges with ambassadors from six to 25. ⁷

Lawsuits and Legislation

In November 2016, Florida’s Supervisors of Elections added early voting sites at 12 college campuses in response to a lawsuit filed by the Andrew Goodman Foundation and the League of Women Voters of Florida. ⁸

In October 2020, AGF won a lawsuit against the Dutchess County Board of Elections requiring a polling site in Dutchess County, New York, to be relocated to Bard College, where it will allegedly be “safer, more accessible, and ADA-compliant.” The lawsuit was filed largely due to concerns about safety related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dutchess County board initially refused the move because the request was made too close to Election Day. ⁹

In April 2022, a state bill supported by AGF, Common Cause, GenVote, New York Public Interest Research Group, Citizens Union, and Bard College was signed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) requiring polling sites on or near college campuses with at least 300 registered student voters. ¹⁰

Student Vote Choice

In October 2022, Andrew Goodman Foundation announced it was partnering with the Anti-Defamation League, Deliver My Vote, Hillel International, the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education, and the National Vote at Home Institute on Student Vote Choice, a get-out-the-vote campaign targeted at students. The campaign will support establishing polling stations on college campuses, as well as the promotion of mail-in balloting. ¹¹

Leadership

Andrew Goodman Foundation president Charles Imohiosen is the president ofBousquet Advisors. He was previously senior vice president of strategic planning for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), a $10 billion fund established by New York state to rebuild lower Manhattan after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Previously, Imohiosen was chief operating officer of Empire State Development, of which LMDC is a subsidiary. In 2013, Imohiosen was a senior policy advisor to President Barack Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force. From 2009 to 2013, Imohiosen worked as a counselor and advisor to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. ¹²

AGF’s advisory board includes singer Harry Belafonte, actor Danny Glover, U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar (D-TX), former U.S. Representative and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young (D), Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, Facing History and Ourselves founder Margot Stern Strom, and Institute for Democracy and Higher Education director Nancy Thomas. ¹³

Partner Organizations

Andrew Goodman Foundation lists the following partner organizations: the All In Campus Democracy Challenge, All Voting is Local,  Ask Every Student, BallotReady, Campus Compact, the Campus Election Engagement Project, the Campus Vote Project, Democracy Works, the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education, the League of Women Voters, the National Voter Education Week, the National Voter Registration Day, Nonprofit VOTE, Power the Polls, Rock the Vote, the Scholars Strategy Network, Students Learn Students Vote, Student PIRGs, Vote.org, Vote Early Day, and the Wisconsin Voting Rights Coalition. ¹⁴

1. “Andy’s Story.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/who-we-are/about-andy/.
2. “The Andrew Goodman Foundation Welcomes Charles Imohiosen As New President And Chief Executive Officer Along With New Board Members.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. November 8, 2021. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/news-list/the-andrew-goodman-foundation-welcomes-charles-imohiosen-as-new-president-and-chief-executive-officer-along-with-new-board-members/.
3. “Democracy Never Sleeps.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. July 19, 2017. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/news-list/democracy-never-sleeps/.
4. “Advisory Board.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/who-we-are/our-people/?people-categories=advisory-board#people.
5.  “Vote Everywhere.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/our-programs/vote-everywhere/.
6. Sasser, Margaret. “The Andrew Goodman Foundation and Five Partner Organizations Launch National “student Vote Choice” Campaign To Promote Student Voting Rights Ahead of 2022 and 2024 Elections.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. October 18, 2022. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/news-list/the-andrew-goodman-foundation-and-five-partner-organizations-launch-national-student-vote-choice-campaign-to-promote-student-voting-rights-ahead-of-2022-and-2024-elections/.
7. “Andrew Goodman HBCU Cohort.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/our-programs/andrew-goodman-hbcu-cohort/.
8. “Vote Everywhere Ambassadors Help Pave the Way for 12 Early Voting Sites in Florida, Including 2 at Miami Dade College.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. November 16, 2018. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/student-stories-list/vote-everywhere-ambassadors-help-pave-the-way-for-12-early-voting-sites-in-florida-including-2-at-miami-dade-college/.
9. “The Andrew Goodman Foundation, Bard College President and Students Win Student Voting Rights Victory in Dutchess County, NY Ahead of the 2020 Election.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. October 24, 2020. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/news-list/the-andrew-goodman-foundation-bard-college-president-and-students-win-student-voting-rights-victory-in-dutchess-county-ny-ahead-of-the-2020-election/.
10. “New Legislation Will Bring Polling Places To New York College Campuses.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. April 9, 2022. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/news-list/new-legislation-will-bring-polling-places-to-new-york-college-campuses/.
11. Sasser, Margaret. “The Andrew Goodman Foundation and Five Partner Organizations Launch National “student Vote Choice” Campaign To Promote Student Voting Rights Ahead of 2022 and 2024 Elections.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. October 18, 2022. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/news-list/the-andrew-goodman-foundation-and-five-partner-organizations-launch-national-student-vote-choice-campaign-to-promote-student-voting-rights-ahead-of-2022-and-2024-elections/.
12. “Charles Imohiosen.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-imohiosen-6a71333/.
13. “Advisory Board.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/who-we-are/our-people/?people-categories=advisory-board#people.
14. “Partners.” Andrew Goodman Foundation. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://andrewgoodman.org/who-we-are/our-people/?people-categories=partners#people.