National Voter Corps is a left-leaning nonprofit organization that advocates for eliminating election-integrity laws under the guise of increasing voter engagement from so-called disenfranchised communities and groups. 1
National Voter Corps organizes volunteers to work with state- and national-level activist organizations that work to register voters as well as advocate for left-of-center election policy. 2
Background
Founded in 2016, National Voter Corps is a fiscally sponsored project of the Social Good Fund. 3 It organizes activists to advocate for increased voter participation and to seek the elimination of conservative-backed election integrity laws. 4
National Voter Corps also advocates in favor of reinstating the preclearance provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which would federalize election policy. It cites the changing in location of 1,688 polling location since the 2013 removal of the preclearance provision and claims that such changes should be reviewed by federal courts or the Department of Justice before being made. 5
Advocacy
In a July 2022 blog post, National Voter Corps expressed support for the proposed Freedom to Vote Act, which would restrict certain campaign-related speech and federalize election administration. The post also advocated for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would bring back the Preclearance provision to the Voting Rights Act, requiring election policy at all levels of government to be reviewed by a Federal Court or the Department of Justice before being implemented. The post advises individuals to contact their elected officials to end the filibuster, specifically when used to prohibit the passing of these two bills and to vote in favor of the bills. 6
In December 2022, National Voter Corps announced in a blog post that executive director Alice Smith met with the offices of 18 senators to lobby in support of the Freedom to Vote John R. Lewis Act. The blog post also commented on the Supreme Court case Moore v. Harper, arguing that states should not be allowed to create election policy or engage in redistricting without the consent of state courts. 7
In February 2023, National Voter Corps published a blog post supporting the Brennan Center’s criticisms of certain election integrity policies for allegedly allowing election interference following the 2020 election. It includes unspecified “criminal and civil penalties on election officials,” the establishment of “resources” for prosecuting election related crimes taken place in Florida and Georgia, and Georgia’s changes in election administration as being forms of election interference. 8
National Voter Corps supports abolishing the Electoral College and advocates for switching to a popular-vote system. 9
People
Alice Smith is the founder and executive director of National Voter Corps. She describes herself as a progressive who has worked for Democratic Party candidates since 1948. Smith chairs the Mid-Peninsula Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and is co-chair of the Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley. 10
References
- “About National Voter Corps.” National Voter Corps, July 18, 2022. https://nationalvotercorps.org/about-nvc/.
- “Get Involved Locally.” National Voter Corps, January 21, 2023. https://nationalvotercorps.org/get-involved-locally/.
- “Donate – National Voter Corps.” Accessed February 27, 2023. https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTczNzUz.
- “About National Voter Corps.” National Voter Corps, July 18, 2022. https://nationalvotercorps.org/about-nvc/.
- “The Rise and Fall of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.” National Voter Corps, October 24, 2022. https://nationalvotercorps.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Voting-Rights-ACLU-10.24.22.record1B.pdf
- “All about the Filibuster.” National Voter Corps, July 7, 2022. https://nationalvotercorps.org/2022/07/all-about-the-filibuster/#more-2911.
- “Ms. Smith Went to Washington…to Meet Some Senators.” National Voter Corps, December 10, 2022. https://nationalvotercorps.org/2022/12/ms-smith-went-to-washingtonto-meet-some-senators/.
- “The Supreme Court and Election Interference.” National Voter Corps, February 6, 2023. https://nationalvotercorps.org/2023/02/the-supreme-court-and-election-interference/.
- “The Outdated Notion of the Electoral College.” National Voter Corps, December 14, 2022. https://nationalvotercorps.org/2022/07/electoral-college/#more-2913.
- “Alice Smith.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 27, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-smith-8279499.