Spread the Vote is a national left-of-center voter mobilization organization based in Los Angeles, California. The organization provides government issued identification for eligible voters residing in states with voter identification laws and provides other services related to voter mobilization. ¹ Although Spread the Vote claims to be nonpartisan, as required under federal law, the group maintains a close proximity to several left-wing causes.

Organizational Structure

Formal chapters of Spread the Vote have in the past been established in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. As of October 2020, Spread the Vote has chapters in Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. ² At the national level, Spread the Vote is led by founder and executive director Kat Calvin, deputy executive director Gina Miles, director of operations Aisha Chapa, director of volunteer training Jennifer Costa, communications director and general counsel Marissa Goldfaden, and deputy directors of research and data Emma Wisniewski. ³

Left-Wing Affiliations

Although Spread the Vote claims to be nonpartisan, as required under federal law, the group maintains a close proximity to several left-wing causes.

Staff

The founder of Spread the Vote, Kat Calvin, is a 2019 Roddenberry Fellow. ⁴ The Roddenberry Foundation funds several left-wing causes, including Movement Strategy Center, National LGBTQ Task Force, Natural Resources Defense Council, Peace Development Fund, and Protect Democracy. ⁵ Prior to Spread the Vote, vice president Georgina Cannan worked at both the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Party of Virginia in voter outreach and protection roles. ⁶

In addition to serving as Texas State Director for Spread the Vote, Durrel Douglas also serves as Texas State Director for Working America, a affiliate of the AFL-CIO advocating for employees who are not yet union members under a collective bargaining agreement. ⁷ In addition to serving as deputy director of research and data for Spread the Vote, Ariana Hooks also works at the Democratic National Committee as a Resource Associate and Voter Hotline Manager. ⁸ In addition to serving as Georgia state directorfor Spread the Vote, Alaina Reaves also serves as regional field director for the Democratic Party of Georgia, and previously as a field organizer with Hillary for America and as a correspondence intern and Associate with the White House Office of First Lady Michelle Obama. ⁹ Spread the Vote’s Indiana state director, Amanda Noell, is also the Founder of 92 County Strategy, a left-wing PAC formed after the 2016 elections. ¹⁰

Partnerships

In addition to staff connections, Spread the Vote has formally partnered with several left-wing organizations, including the NFL Players Association,¹¹ Resurgent Left,¹² NoRA,¹³ March for Science,¹⁴ Run For Something,¹⁵ Virginia Democracy Forward,¹⁶ Proud Voter,¹⁷ and Rock the Vote. ¹⁸

1. “Spread the Vote.” Spread the Vote. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://www.spreadthevote.org/.
2. “Our Team.” Spread the Vote. Accessed May 7, 2019; October 21, 2020. https://www.spreadthevote.org/our-team. Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20190223081956/https://www.spreadthevote.org/our-team.
3. “Our Team.” Spread the Vote. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://www.spreadthevote.org/our-team.
4. “Kat Calvin.” Roddenberry Foundation. February 8, 2019. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://roddenberryfoundation.org/blog/fellow/kat-calvin/.
5. Roddenberry Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Part XV.
6. Cannan, Georgina. LinkedIn. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgina-cannan-6b9ab743/.
7. Douglas, Durrel. LinkedIn. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/durreldouglas/.
8. Hooks, Ariana. LinkedIn. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariana-hooks-36512a140/.
9. Reaves, Alaina. LinkedIn. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alainareaves/.
10. Noell, Amanda. LinkedIn. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-noell-34323413a/.
11. NFL Players Association. “NFLPA Supports NFL Players’ Youth Camps through Partnerships.” News release, August 16, 2018. NFL Players Association. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://www.nflpa.com/players/news/nflpa-supports-nfl-players-youth-camps-through-partnerships.
12. “Our Friends.” Resurgent Left. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://www.resurgentleft.org/our-friends/.
13. “Partners.” NoRA. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://noranow.org/partners/.
14. “Our Partners | March for Science.” March for Science. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://www.marchforscience.com/partners?state=WA.
15. “Partners.” Run For Something. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://runforsomething.net/partners/.
16. “Vadf-live | VOTER OUTREACH/ID.” VA Democracy Forward – VADF. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://www.vademocracyforward.org/voter-outreach-id.
17. “Proud Voter Challenge Partners – Be Represented. Be Heard. Vote.” Proud Voter Campaign. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://proudvoter.org/partners/.
18. Rock the Vote. “Rock the Vote and Spread the Vote Guarantee IDs for Young Voters.” News release, June 25, 2018. Rock the Vote. Accessed May 7, 2019. https://www.rockthevote.org/rock-the-vote-and-spread-the-vote-guarantee-ids-for-young-voters/.