Georgia Conservation Voters (GCV) Education Fund

The organization opposes nuclear energy ⁴ and its executive director is a plaintiff in a lawsuit arguing that at-large election of public utility commissioners in Georgia violates the Voting Rights Act. ⁵

GCVEF is the Georgia state affiliate of the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (LCVEF), a national advocacy organization for left-leaning environmentalist policy. ⁶

Background

The Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund is a left-of-center voter mobilization group based in the state of Georgia. It is the 501(c)(3) counterpart of the 501(c)(4) Georgia Conservation Voters (GCV) and the Super PAC known as the Georgia Conservation Voters (GCV) Action Fund. ^{1 2 3}

It is the Georgia state affiliate of the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (LCVEF), a national advocacy organization for left-leaning environmentalist policy. ⁶

Activities

The Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund opposes the development of nuclear energy in Georgia. ⁷ The group advocates for banning nuclear energy. ⁴ In 2022, it opposed the building of two new units for Plant Vogtle, a nuclear power facility in Georgia, calling the plant a “financial burden” on the state. ⁸ The group’s “Ratepayer Robbery” press release argues that Georgia should focus on weather-dependent energy sources such as solar energy. ⁴  

In 2024, GCVEF reportedly spent $1,092,560 on its “Clean Energy for All” program, which consisted of efforts to inform the public on decisions made by the Georgia Public Service Commission and various electric utility companies. It spent another $440,206 on its “Democracy for All” initiative, which aims to engage “communities of color and young people” in “climate justice, pollution-free communities,” and a “participatory democracy.” It spent an additional $43,890 on “environmental justice” education, informing people of their abilities to influence environmental laws and regulations. ⁹

Advocacy

In 2020, Brionte McCorkle, executive director of the Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund, became a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit that sought to change the framework under which commissioners who regulate Georgia’s public utilities are elected. The lawsuit claimed that “the statewide campaign system is stacked against Black voters, leaving their interests unprotected.” It condemned the statewide method of electing members to Georgia’s Public Service Commission, arguing that the method diluted the voting strength of Black voters and is a violation of the Voting Rights Act. ⁵

Financials

In 2024, the Georgia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund reported $2,541,991 in revenues, $2,140,970 in expenses, and $1,909,731 in net assets. ¹⁰

Grantmaking

In 2024, the Georgia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund gave $25,000 to Black Voters Matter Capacity Building for “clean energy” initiatives. ¹¹

Donations to PAC Affiliate

Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund’s affiliated political action committee, the Georgia Conservation Voters Action Fund, received $80,000 from Communications Workers of America Working Voices, the super PAC of the left-wing labor union that represents employees in the telecommunications, airline, journalism and other industries Communications Workers of America, in 2020. GCV Action Fund also received $25,000 from Sunrise PAC in 2020, the political action committee of the left-of-center Sunrise Movement that supports radical environmentalist legislation such as the “Green New Deal.” ¹²

Leadership

As of 2026, Ontario Smith was the president of the Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. He began his career as a ratemaking regulator at Pacific Gas and Electric Company in San Francisco. He then became a principal local representative to the City and County of San Francisco, leading outreach and lobbying strategies with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and other agencies. He is a co-founder of S2 Partners, an advisory service that aims to help clients build relationships with local and state government officials, local stakeholders, and organized labor entities, such as labor unions. S2 Partners primarily works with groups involved in “collaborative zoning, land use and workforce strategies” and endeavors to ensure these projects are “approved and constructed in diverse communities.” ¹³

Jason Rooks was the former president of the Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund. ¹⁴ He previously lobbied the Georgia General Assembly and consulted on political campaigns in Georgia. He also directed Taxpayers for Energy Efficiency, a campaign that succeeded in advocating for the passage of a ballot initiative that expanded public funding for weather-dependent energy in Georgia. ¹⁵