Vot-ER (also known as A Healthier Democracy) is a left-of-center voter registration and get-out-the vote organization that focuses its efforts on individuals in the healthcare system ¹ and seeks to identify low-income and minority voters. ²

Since its founding in 2019, Vot-ER has helped more than 70,000 individuals register to vote or prepare to vote at more than 700 hospitals. ^{3 4}

Vot-ER’s supporters include the left-of-center Boston Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. ⁵ In 2021, Vot-ER received $100,000 from the Windward Fund, a grantmaking organization that is part of the philanthropic “dark money” network managed by consulting firm Arabella Advisors. ⁶

History and Leadership

Vot-ER (also known as A Healthier Democracy) ⁷ was founded by Alister Martin as a pilot program at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2019. ⁸ In 2021, the group received tax-exempt status from the IRS. ⁹ Vot-ER founder Alister Martin has stated that voting is a health issue. ¹⁰

Aliya Bhatia is the executive director of Vot-ER. She is also an advisor for the Colorado Youth Congress, which features a quotation from radical-left activist Angela Davis on its website, ¹¹ and a board member for Common Good Atlanta. Previously she worked at Impactive Consultants, Boston Consulting Group, and Teach For America. ¹²

Activities and Funding

Vot-ER is a left-of-center voter registration and get-out-the vote organization that focuses its efforts on individuals in the healthcare system ¹³ and seeks to identify low-income and minority voters. ¹⁴ Health care professionals, organizers, clinical students, technologists, and others who participate in Vot-ER programs assist patients to register to vote with QR codes on their lanyards ^{15 16} and have asked patients if they vote in-person or by mail. ^{17 18}

Vote-ER is promoted on numerous university medical schools, ^{19 20} calls the American health-care system the “next voting frontier” ²¹ and has called voting “social work.” ²²  The organization supports the far-left concept of health equity and believes that what it identifies as racial and social inequities correlate with low voter turnout and poorer health outcomes. ²³

Since 2019, Vot-ER’s tools and resources have been introduced to more than 700 hospitals and helped more than 70,000 individuals either register to vote or prepare to vote. ^{24 25} Vot-ER has claimed that 54 percent of these voters are new or infrequent voters. ²⁶ The organization’s script for potential voters includes lines to instruct illegal immigrant patients to help friends and family members who are U.S. citizens get ready to vote. ²⁷

In 2022, Vot-ER worked with Nurses Who Vote and the Civic Health Alliance (CHA) on voter registration efforts. ²⁸ That same year, the American Medical Association hosted an event featuring speakers from Vot-ER to discuss its Civic Health Month in 2022. ²⁹

Vot-ER is a partner of left-of-center Democracy Works, ^{30 31} American Academy of Pediatrics, Oak Street Health, the National Association of Community Health Centers, and the University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine). ³² The organization also supports Voting is Social Work, the national social-workers voter-mobilization campaign. ³³

In September 2024 the Republican National Committee (RNC) sent out letters to election officials within several swing states including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada claiming that Vot-ER is “threatening … election integrity” ³⁴ by advocating doctors to register patients in settings including emergency rooms, substance abuse clinics, and psychiatric hospitals. According to the Washington Free Beacon, the letters also claim that such practices are a “perversion of the doctor-patient relationship…” and “…raises serious legal concerns given the laws and regulations governing that relationship and voter registration.” ³⁵ This comes following a Congressional probe launched in August 2024 against Vot-ER over allegations that the group sent scripts to local physicians by the group that would have them urge their illegal immigrant patients to “help” their naturalized relatives “get ready to vote.” ³⁶

On September 9, 2024, House Reps. Clay Higgins (R-LA), Chip Roy (R-TX), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ) sent a letter to American Medical Association (AMA) president Bruce Scott asking for the group to avoid, “working with groups like Vot-ER in the future” due to their concern of  “the ongoing politicization of the medical profession through advocacy efforts by organizations that the AMA has and continues to partner with regarding federal elections.” ³⁷ The letter also stated that “…Vot-ER, while claiming to be nonpartisan, has partisan leadership and has joined efforts against legislation that would promote secure elections in line with current law.” ³⁸

Funding

Vot-ER receives its funding from individual contributions and grants. ^{39 40}

Vot-ER’s supporters include the left-of-center Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, the Boston Foundation, Berbee Walsh Foundation, Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. ⁴¹

In 2021, Vot-ER received $100,000 from the Windward Fund, a grantmaking organization that is part of the philanthropic “dark money” network managed by consulting firm Arabella Advisors. ⁴²

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2.  “Partner Spotlight: Vot-ER.” Democracy Works. Accessed July 22, 2023. https://www.democracy.works/case-studies/partner-spotlight-vot-er.
3. “Support Vot-ER.” Vot-ER. Accessed July 22, 2023. https://vot-er.org/donate/.
4. “Doctors Help Patients Register to Vote | NBC News NOW.” NBC News YouTube. Uploaded October 8, 2020. Accessed July 22, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFdcnw3j2yY&t=10s.
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11. “Home.” Colorado Youth Congress. Accessed July 24, 2023. https://coyouthcongress.org/.
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28. Gilyard, Katherine. “Motivated by Dobbs and COVID-19, groups are pushing doctors and nurses to vote.” The 19^th. November 3, 2022. Accessed July 22, 2023. https://19thnews.org/2022/11/doctors-nurses-voter-turnout-groups/.
29. “Voter registration and health care with Vot-ER.” American Medical Association. August 29, 2022. Accessed July 23, 2023. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/voter-registration-and-health-care-vot-er.
30. “Partner Spotlight: Vot-ER.” Democracy Works. Accessed July 22, 2023. https://www.democracy.works/case-studies/partner-spotlight-vot-er.
31. “Help voters, no matter what!” TurboVote. Accessed July 24, 2023. https://partners.turbovote.org/.
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36. Sibarium, Aaron. “RNC Urges Election Officials To Scrutinize Dem-Aligned Group Registering Patients To Vote in Hospitals.” Washington Free Beacon, September 3, 2024. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/rnc-urges-election-officials-to-scrutinize-dem-aligned-group-registering-patients-to-vote-in-hospitals/
37. Kaminsky, Gabe. “Ex-Harris aide’s voter registration group drives House investigation into healthcare industry.” Washington Examiner, September 9, 2024. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/3147301/ex-harris-aide-voter-registration-group-house-probe/
38. Kaminsky, Gabe. “Ex-Harris aide’s voter registration group drives House investigation into healthcare industry.” Washington Examiner, September 9, 2024. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/3147301/ex-harris-aide-voter-registration-group-house-probe/
39. “Support Vot-ER.” Vot-ER. Accessed July 22, 2023. https://vot-er.org/donate/.
40. “Supporters.” Vot-ER. Accessed July 22, 2023. https://vot-er.org/supporters/.
41. “Supporters.” Vot-ER. Accessed July 22, 2023. https://vot-er.org/supporters/.
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