From 1982 until its closure in 2017, Project Vote was a left-of-center voter rights and activation nonprofit that worked to expand the number of minority voters. It conducted voter registration events and “get out the vote” initiatives in neighborhoods of color, and brought legal action against state voter identification measures. [1]
Citing recent funding shortages, the organization permanently closed in 2017. However, the organization’s website continues to be maintained as a source of information for the left-of-center voting rights community. [2]
Background
Project Vote was founded by Sandy Newman in 1982. [3] A decade later, Newman decided to open an office in Cook County, Illinois. Newman hired a recent Harvard Law graduate, Barack Obama, to be the director of the new division, which helped build his name-recognition in Illinois politics. According to one report, Obama and his office registered 150,000 minority voters before the 1992 elections. Chicago Magazine, which published a piece following the election, credited those new voters with flipping several seats in the local and state government. [4]
In 1994, the organization began a decades-spanning relationship with the now-defunct Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). [5] A leading force within the left-of-center voter registration and activation community for over 20 years, Project Vote—experiencing a funding shortage—permanently closed on May 31, 2017. [6]
Activities
Project Vote’s mission was to raise the number of left-leaning ethnic minorities taking part in the electoral process. The organization devised three issue-specific programs to help facilitate its mission: Voter Participation, Election Administration, and Government Agency Voter Registration. [7]
With the Voter Participation program, Project Vote sought to expand voter participation rates of historically marginalized populations. It ran extensive voter registration campaigns in neighborhoods of color, and near elections, employed local organizers to conduct “get out the vote” campaigns in areas with the highest amount of traffic. [8]
Project Vote used its second program, Election Administration, to oppose electoral integrity measures. [9]It advocated for the abolishment of voter identification laws, claiming that they disproportionately impact minority and low-income voters. [10] Project Vote, addressing the issue in a lengthy report, The Politics of Voter Fraud, claimed that “the claim that voter fraud threatens the integrity of American elections is itself a fraud.” [11]
The organization’s third program, Public Agency Registration, was the litigation arm of Project Vote. Project Vote would file lawsuits against government agencies enforcing voter registration policies. [12]
Funding
In 2016, Project Vote reported earnings of approximately $2.5 million, and nearly $3 million in expenses. [13] Over the years, some of Project Vote’s biggest donors included the now-defunct Beldon Fund, Herb Block Foundation, Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, and Tides Foundation. [14] [15] [16] [17]
Leadership
For over a decade, Michael Slater served as the president and executive director of Project Vote. [18]
Partnerships
Project Vote often partnered with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) to carry out various initiatives, although both organizations denied any formal relationship. [19]