The Voter Project is a left-of-center organization that promotes increased vote-by-mail and voter registration in Pennsylvania. ^[1] Originally founded in 2020 to implement Pennsylvania’s Act 77 law that expanded mail-in voting for the 2020 election cycle, ^[2] The Voter Project is staffed by several Democratic Party and left-of-center activists. ^[3] The Voter Project has associated with the labor union-associated, left-of-center Keystone Research Center (KRC). ^{[4] [5]}

The Voter Project helped sign up 3.2 million people to vote by mail in Pennsylvania prior to the 2020 election. ^[6] It has faced some scrutiny after right-to-know requests show The Voter Project may have been involved with grants linked to the left-of-center Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) in Pennsylvania counties won by Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

Prior to the 2020 election, The Voter Project released a video featuring Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) in which he says that “it may take a little longer than we’re used to—even a few days—and that’s okay” when referring to tabulating and reporting 2020 election results. ^[10]

History and Leadership

The Voter Project was founded in March 2020 in Philadelphia and is staffed by several Democratic Party and left-of-center activists. ^[11] The organization was created to implement Pennsylvania’s Act 77 law, which expanded mail-in-voting for the 2020 election cycle. ^[12]

Democratic-affiliated strategist and former chief strategist to the super PAC Need to Impeach Kevin Mack is The Voter Project’s lead strategist. ^{[13] [14]} Former regional director for election support of the National Vote at Home Institute Jeff Greenburg is a senior advisor for The Voter Project. ^[15]

Precious Samuel was the director of outreach for The Voter Project’s Power to the Polls PA campaign, where she led recruitment campaigns and the collaboration between The Voter Project and POWER, a left-of-center Pennsylvania-based faith coalition. ^{[16] [17]} Samuel has previously worked with the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee, left-of-center NextGen America, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). She also has volunteer experience with the South Carolina Democratic Party and both Obama for America and Organizing for America. ^{[18] [19]}

Activities and Funding

The Voter Project is a Pennsylvania-based left-of-center voter registration and vote-by-mail activist organization that played a key role in registering 3.2 million people to vote by mail in Pennsylvania in the 2020 election, leading what Mack called the “soft-side effort to win the swing state” for Democrats. ^[20]

Controversy

Following the 2020 presidential election, several open records requests filed in Pennsylvania revealed that The Voter Project may have been involved in efforts to distribute money linked to the left-of-center Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL). Broad and Liberty, a Pennsylvania-based news website, reported that in the messages, Jessica Walls-Lavelle, a former staffer for Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D), appeared to coordinate with The Voter Project’s Gwen Camp to filter online applications for CTCL-linked election grants in Lehigh, Centre, ^[21] and Lackawanna ^[22] Counties, all of which Hillary Clinton (D) won in the 2016 presidential election. ^[23]

Activities

Prior to the 2020 election, The Voter Project released several advertisements encouraging mail-in voting in the 2020 presidential election. ^{[24] [25]} On November 2, 2020, it released a video featuring Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) in which he says that “it may take a little longer than we’re used to—even a few days—and that’s okay.” ^[26] Other advertisements tell voters to vote by mail for the 2020 election because they have “been waiting four years” for this election. ^[27]

The Voter Project offered guides for how to fill out vote-by-mail ballots and forms, and how to become a poll worker in Pennsylvania, often in conjunction with left-of-center organizations. ^[28] It co-hosted voting events in Philadelphia with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) labor union and the left-of-center All Voting is Local  ^[29] that featured speakers including Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D). ^[30]

The Voter Project also partnered with the left-of-center Power to the Polls to recruit poll workers in Pennsylvania for the 2020 election, ^[31] used Democratic Party-aligned Mobilize America to organize backup poll worker orientation and training meetings, ^{[32] [33]} provided supplemental training to poll working recruits for left-of-center Common Cause Pennsylvania, ^[34] and worked with Democratic strategists in Pennsylvania to “push back” against questions regarding election integrity prior to the 2020 election. ^[35]

Funding

The Voter Project has associated with the labor union-associated, left-of-center Keystone Research Center (KRC). ^{[36] [37]} The Voter Project website has been operated in conjunction with The Voter Project Fund, which was described as “a fiscal sponsorship of the Keystone Research Center.” ^[38]

The Voter Project also solicits individual contributions which are routed through the left-of-center passthrough ActBlue Charities. ^[39]

In 2021, left-of-center Vote Save America encouraged its supporters to donate to the No Off Years fund, which would in turn donate funds to The Voter Project. ^[40]