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Democracy Docket Action Fund (DDAF)

Location:

Washington, DC
Type:

Voting Rights Legal Organization
Formation:

2020
Founder:

Marc Elias

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The Democracy Docket Action Fund (DDAF) is a left-of-center voter rights advocacy organization founded by Democratic political attorney Marc Elias and sponsored by the North Fund, a left-of-center nonprofit that operates as an umbrella group for various left-of-center advocacy organizations. The North Fund was created and is administered by Arabella Advisors and is closely associated with the Arabella-run Sixteen Thirty Fund, a left-of-center lobbying and advocacy organization. 1 2 3 4 5

DDAF engages in lawsuits focused on redistricting, election administration, in-person voting, vote-by-mail, voter registration, and post-election litigation. 6

Activities

The Democracy Docket Action Fund is a left-of-center voter advocacy organization that raises money to fund voting rights lawsuits. 7

According to the 2021 end of year annual report by Swing Left, a Democratic Party-aligned fundraising and voter mobilization PAC, DDAF works alongside the National Democratic Redistricting Action Fund and other state-based organizations on state redistricting maps. DDAF also files lawsuits on election administration, voter registration, vote-by-mail, in-person voting laws, and post-election litigation. In 2021, Swing Left reported DDAF filed over 100 lawsuits in over 20 states, including engaging in a case against right-of-center election integrity nonprofit True the Vote in Georgia and promoting Democratic-favoring redistricting maps before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. 8

People

The Democracy Docket Action Fund was founded by Marc Elias, an American attorney best known for his involvement in Democratic Party political campaigns, redistricting litigation, and election litigation. 9 Elias is a former partner at the law for Perkins Coie LLP and was the general counsel for former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign. Elias previously received funding from billionaire left-wing donor George Soros to challenge election security policies like voter identification laws. 10 11 12

The Democracy Docket Network

The Democracy Docket Action Fund is one of three Democracy Docket organizations founded by Marc Elias. Elias also created Democracy Docket Legal Fund (DDLF), a left-of-center advocacy organization that raises money for lawsuits to expand voting access, with “a focus on laws and practices that will have the greatest impact on BIPOC and young voters.” 13 DDFL is a fiscally sponsored project of the Hopewell Fund, a left-of-center grantmaking organization associated with Arabella Advisors, which itself is a philanthropic consulting company that guides the strategy, advocacy, impact investing, and management for high-dollar left-leaning nonprofits and individuals. 14

The third organization in the Democracy Docket network is Democracy Docket LLC, a for-profit media company focused on opinion and advocacy information surrounding voting rights, redistricting, and elections. Both DDAF and Democracy Docket LLC were founded by Elias in 2020; however, a donation page on ActBlue for DDAF claimed the two organizations were not affiliated with each other. 15 16

Funding

The Democracy Docket Action Fund is a project of the North Fund, a left-of-center nonprofit that operates as an umbrella group for various left-of-center advocacy organizations and has spent millions advocating for policies like abolishing the Electoral College, legalizing recreational marijuana, and making Washington, D.C. a state. The North Fund was created and is administered by Arabella Advisors and is closely associated with the Arabella-run Sixteen Thirty Fund, a left-of-center lobbying and advocacy organization. 17 18 19

According to tax filings, the North Fund did not report providing any grants or other assistance to DDAF in 2021 or 2022. 20 21 In 2020, DDAF received $100,000 from the David Rockefeller Fund, a left-of-center grantmaking organization. 22

In 2020, DDAF solicited donations through ActBlue, a fundraising platform for left-wing organizations and candidates. 23 As of April 2024, the ActBlue fundraising page for DDAF was not accepting donations. 24

References

  1. Schoffstall, Joe. “Dark money network gives top Dem lawyer ‘nearly unlimited funding’ for voting rights lawsuits, watchdog says.” Fox News. September 15, 2021. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dark-money-network-gives-dem-lawyer-nearly-unlimited-funding-for-voting-rights-lawsuits-watchdog-says.
  2. Thayer, Parker, and Hayden Ludwig. “Breaking: Arabella’s Left-Wing Activist Network Raked in $1.7 Billion in 2020 – a ‘Dark Money’ Blowout.” Capital Research Center. Capital Research Center, November 22, 2021. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://capitalresearch.org/article/breaking-arabellas-left-wing-activist-network-raked-in-1-7-billion-in-2020-a-dark-money-blowout/.
  3. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Sixteen Thirty Fund. 2019.
  4. Corasaniti, Nick and Kenneth P. Vogel. “Battles Over Voting Rules Fuel Concern About Postelection Fights.” The New York Times. September 24, 2020. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/us/politics/trump-election-voting-rights.html.
  5. Corasaniti, Nick and Kenneth P. Vogel. “Battles Over Voting Rules Fuel Concern About Postelection Fights.” The New York Times. September 24, 2020. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/us/politics/trump-election-voting-rights.html.
  6. “Blueprint 2021 EOY Impact Report.” Swing Left. 2021. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://d1h4zokikhjm0v.cloudfront.net/content/2021-blueprint-eoy-report.pdf.
  7. Corasaniti, Nick and Kenneth P. Vogel. “Battles Over Voting Rules Fuel Concern About Postelection Fights.” The New York Times. September 24, 2020. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/us/politics/trump-election-voting-rights.html
  8. “Blueprint 2021 EOY Impact Report.” Swing Left. 2021. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://d1h4zokikhjm0v.cloudfront.net/content/2021-blueprint-eoy-report.pdf.
  9. Corasaniti, Nick and Kenneth P. Vogel. “Battles Over Voting Rules Fuel Concern About Postelection Fights.” The New York Times. September 24, 2020. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/us/politics/trump-election-voting-rights.html.
  10. Opfer, Chris. “Democrat Elections Lawyer Elias Leaves Perkins Coie, Starts Firm.” Bloomberg Law, August 23, 2021. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/democrat-elections-lawyer-elias-leaves-perkins-coie-starts-firm.
  11. “Marc E. Elias, Partner.” Perkins Coie. Archived September 1, 2021. Accessed April 19, 2024. . https://web.archive.org/web/20210901132514/https://www.perkinscoie.com/en/professionals/marc-e-elias.html/
  12. “Donor Lookup: ‘George Soros’ and Recipient: ‘Priorities’” OpenSecrets.org. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=George+Soros&cycle=&state=&zip=&employ=&cand=Priorities
  13. “Hopewell Fund.” MacArthur Foundation. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/hopewell-fund-10114459/.
  14. Schoffstall, Joe. “Dark money network gives top Dem lawyer ‘nearly unlimited funding’ for voting rights lawsuits, watchdog says.” Fox News. September 15, 2021. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dark-money-network-gives-dem-lawyer-nearly-unlimited-funding-for-voting-rights-lawsuits-watchdog-says.
  15. [1] Schoffstall, Joe. “Dark money network gives top Dem lawyer ‘nearly unlimited funding’ for voting rights lawsuits, watchdog says.” Fox News. September 15, 2021. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dark-money-network-gives-dem-lawyer-nearly-unlimited-funding-for-voting-rights-lawsuits-watchdog-says.
  16. “Support Democracy Docket Action Fund!” Imgur. September 15, 2021. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://imgur.com/a/89FzD84
  17. Schoffstall, Joe. “Dark money network gives top Dem lawyer ‘nearly unlimited funding’ for voting rights lawsuits, watchdog says.” Fox News. September 15, 2021. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dark-money-network-gives-dem-lawyer-nearly-unlimited-funding-for-voting-rights-lawsuits-watchdog-says.
  18. Thayer, Parker, and Hayden Ludwig. “Breaking: Arabella’s Left-Wing Activist Network Raked in $1.7 Billion in 2020 – a ‘Dark Money’ Blowout.” Capital Research Center. Capital Research Center, November 22, 2021. https://capitalresearch.org/article/breaking-arabellas-left-wing-activist-network-raked-in-1-7-billion-in-2020-a-dark-money-blowout/.
  19. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Sixteen Thirty Fund. 2019.
  20. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). North Fund. 2021.
  21. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). North Fund. 2022.
  22. “Annual Report 2020.”David Rockefeller Fund. 2020. Archived May 16, 2023. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20230516032839/http://drfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DRF-2020-Annual-Report.pdf.
  23. @Democracy Docket. Tweet on October 9, 2020, 8:41pm. Twitter. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://twitter.com/DemocracyDocket/status/1314742923590803458.
  24. “This fundraiser is not currently accepting any donations.” ActBlue. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dddm-2.
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Democracy Docket Action Fund (DDAF)


Washington, DC