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Million Voter Project (MVP)

Website:

millionvotersproject.org/
Headquarters:

4801 West Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90016 1
Formation:

2015

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The Million Voter Project was a coalition made up of left-of-center advocacy groups founded in 2015 to reach out to voters across California. 1 The coalition includes Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Civic Empowerment Education Fund, the California Black Power Network, California Calls, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Inland Empire United, Power California, PICO California, and the Orange County Civic Engagement Table. 2

In 2018, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative supported MVP as part of its Justice and Opportunity Initiative. 3

Background

The Million Voter Project describes itself as a multi-racial, multigenerational alliance of state and regional networks focused on reaching out to millions of voters across California. 1

The organization’s original aim was to mobilize one million new voters to the polls around an agenda of “equity and inclusion.”   4 The group says it is most focused on turning out votes from racial minorities, immigrants, youth, low-income individuals, and renters.  5

The MVP organizes Black, Asian American, and Pacific Islander, Latino, and young voters and employs voter outreach programs in multiple languages.  1

The MVP is a coalition made up of nine California left-leaning nonprofit groups. These are: the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Civic Empowerment Education Fund, the California Black Power Network, California Calls, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Inland Empire United, Power California, PICO California, and the Orange County Civic Engagement Table. 2

As of 2026, the group’s website says it made 4.4 million contacts with voters and potential voters, gained 2.1 million supporters across California, and engaged 54,318 individuals to lead outreach in the MVP’s 24 statewide voter engagement programs.  5 It has reached individuals in 11 languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Cantonese, Farsi, Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.  5

The project says it has built a base of 1.9 million supportive voters and political infrastructure to attempt to win statewide and regional races.  1

It is affiliated with the Million Voters Project Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. 6

History

The Million Voters Project, founded in 2015, argues that systemic change is won by on-the-ground organizing, connecting directly with communities, and having a vision for a more “just California.”  1

California Calls, a statewide coalition of left-of-center organizations, received large multi-year funding to launch the Million Voters Project. 7 California Calls sought to achieve the 1 million voter mark by 2018. 8

In 2018, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative supported the MVP as part of its Justice and Opportunity Initiative. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative attributed its support for the MVP to the group’s support for increasing turnout to support reforms that left-of-center policies, including government-funded health care, criminal justice policy leniency, immigration expansion, and affordable housing. 3

Advocacy

The Million Voters Project argues that “equity means fundamentally – and permanently – changing who decides and who benefits in our society.” The group supports “universal rights and benefits for all.”  5

The MVP advocates for “social housing” to do away with homelessness. It also calls for “progressive revenue” to ensure businesses pay more in taxes. 5 The group is part of the Schools and Communities First Coalition, which advocates for progressive taxation.  5

In May 2024, the MVP joined the California Budget and Policy Center and Catalyst California to launch the Budget Power Project. 9 The Budget Power Project partners with more than 100 organizations across the state to create “equitable public policies and budgetary practices.” 10

The project contends that people have the right to government services and a safety net, regardless of immigration status, or criminal records.  5

The group says it wants to “shift wealth and power away from corporations/billionaire class and into community control.”  5

The organization claims that for the past four decades, a “conservative right-wing narrative has successfully sown deep distrust and cynicism in government.” It says it is “imperative that we disrupt anti-government narratives and take control of the stories that shape what’s possible in California.”  5

In 2024, MVP canvassers contacted more than 200,000 California voters to get them to oppose Proposition 36, a measure that reversed certain criminal justice leniency policies. 11

References

  1. “Million Voters Project.” Idealist. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://www.idealist.org/es/ong/736eb662cd9f43c58e591236240a892b-million-voters-project-los-angeles 
  2. “Million Voters Project.” ActBlue. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/millionvotersproject 
  3. Press Release. “Supporting Community Coalitions in California.” Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. May 11, 2018. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://chanzuckerberg.com/newsroom/supporting-community-coalitions-in-california/ 
  4. “About.” Million Voters Project. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://millionvotersproject.org/about 
  5. “Our Work.” Million Voters Project. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://millionvotersproject.org/work/#agenda 
  6. “Million Voters Project Action Fund.” Cause IQ. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/million-voters-project-action-fund,811953580/ 
  7. Bell, Judith and Uno, Amado. “Trusting community organizers to build a multiracial democracy.” Candid. September 3, 2024. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://candid.org/blogs/supporting-grassroots-power-building-for-racial-economic-equity/ 
  8. San Francisco Foundation. “The Power of a Vote.” October 5, 2016. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://sff.org/the-power-of-a-vote/ 
  9. Kamal, Sameea. “What drives California’s budget decisions? A lot of politics, not as much data.” CalMatters. May 20, 2024. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2024/05/california-budget-deficit-decisions/ 
  10. Strokes, Anne. “The Budget Power Project shows communities how to advocate for affordable housing funding.” Sacramento News Review. July 24, 2025. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://sacramento.newsreview.com/spotlight/budgets-reflect-values/ 
  11. Parris, Michelle. “How Proposition 36 convinced Californians to vote against their political views.” CalMatters. November 8, 2024. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://calmatters.org/commentary/2024/11/proposition-36-convinced-californians-vote/ 
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