The Voter Formation Project is a left-of-center voter mobilization organization launched following the 2020 election by Tatenda Musapatike, a former Facebook employee focused on political ads, to use digital advertising to boost Democratic candidates. The organization aims to increase voter registration in minority communities where registration is lacking to boost Democratic campaigns. ^{1 2}

Background

The Voter Formation Project was formed in 2021 by Tatenda Musapatike, who previously worked at Facebook as a political ads specialist before leaving to join the Democratic-aligned Acronym advocacy network as director of campaigns. Musapatike also led the People’s Power Grab campaign at Acronym, which opposed election integrity laws. ³

Musapatike left Acronym in 2021 to found the Voter Formation Project and stated that the group would fill a gap for “digital-only” voter outreach and that the group would function practically like a digital ad agency. The group stated that it would initially target registration efforts to states including Texas and Virginia. ⁴

Activity

In its first year of existence, the Voter Formation Project claimed to lead voter outreach ad campaigns that reached 1.7 million people in Texas and 1.7 million people in Virginia. ⁵ The organization focused on testing a more traditional form of political advertising and a more social media culture-oriented form and found that the latter performed better in terms of registering potential voters. The organization then built an online tool to register voters and provide ballot information using such ads. ⁶

The organization accepts donations through ActBlue Charities, a left-of-center fundraising platform. ⁷

1. “Press.” Voter Formation Project. Accessed August 22, 2022. https://www.voterformationproject.org/press
2. Hatmaker, Taylor. “The Voter Formation Project puts an experimental spin on reaching Black and brown first-time voters.” TechCrunch. March 17, 2021. Accessed August 22, 2022. https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/17/the-voter-formation-project/
3. Hatmaker, Taylor. “The Voter Formation Project puts an experimental spin on reaching Black and brown first-time voters.” TechCrunch. March 17, 2021. Accessed August 22, 2022. https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/17/the-voter-formation-project/
4. Hatmaker, Taylor. “The Voter Formation Project puts an experimental spin on reaching Black and brown first-time voters.” TechCrunch. March 17, 2021. Accessed August 22, 2022. https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/17/the-voter-formation-project/
5. “The Voter Formation Project A Year In Review.” Voter Formation Project. Accessed August 22, 2022. https://www.voterformationproject.org/post/the-voter-formation-project-a-year-in-review
6. “Our Research.” Voter Formation Project. Accessed August 22, 2022. https://www.voterformationproject.org/our-research
7. “The Voter Formation Project A Year In Review.” Voter Formation Project. Accessed August 22, 2022. https://www.voterformationproject.org/post/the-voter-formation-project-a-year-in-review