The Sister District Project is a left-of-center political committee that helps elect Democrats to state legislative seats across the country. The organization helps Democrats who live in solidly Democratic states and districts campaign for Democrats who are attempting to win seats in competitive districts.

The organization endorses a slate of Democrats running for the state legislature and connects them with a team of volunteers from a “sister district,” much like a municipality’s “sister cities.” Those volunteers then reach out to voters through a variety of methods. The organization provides those teams of volunteers with the materials that will help them reach out to voters in the best way possible. ¹

The organization supports a federal takeover of election administration. It joined with other organizations to push for legislation that would allow the federal government to take over election management on the state and local level. ²

Background

The Sister District Project is a left-of-center 527 political action committee which seeks to elect Democratic state legislative candidates in more competitive districts. The organization connects teams of volunteers in solidly Democratic areas with Democrats who are running for the state legislature in swing districts and states. ³

The organization models itself after the “sister cities” concept in international relations. The organization endorses a group of Democratic candidates running in swing districts and states and then  connects them to a team of volunteers. Those volunteers then reach out to voters in the targeted district through a variety of methods, such as making fundraising pitches, phone banking, writing postcards, text banking, and even traveling to those districts to knock on doors if feasible. The organization coordinates these teams of volunteers and makes sure they have the proper materials to influence voters. ⁴

The organization claims to have over 60,000 volunteers in over 170 groups in 32 states. The organization partners with other left-of-center organizations such as Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, EMILY’s List, Human Rights Campaign, and Vote Save America. ⁵

The organization was founded in the wake of Donald Trump’s surprise election as president in 2016. The founders live in the San Francisco Bay Area and felt hopeless that there was not a way to send resources from their resource-rich areas into areas with Democratic candidates that would benefit from their aid. ⁶

Activities

In 2017, the organization focused on the Virginia House of Delegates, where it helped Democrats flip 15 seats and nearly take control of the body. ⁷

In 2022, the organization endorsed 36 candidates of which 34 won. The organization also raised 84 percent of its money before Labor Day so its candidates could build strong voter contact programs. ⁸

The organization focuses on state legislature races because campaign donations go farther in such elections than they would in national races. The state legislatures also decide numerous important issues. ⁹

The organization is a member of Declaration For American Democracy, which is a left-of-center coalition that advocates for the federal takeover of election administration. It believes that the federal takeover will get “big money” out of politics, protect the freedom to vote, and lead to fairer redistricting. ¹⁰

Leadership

The executive director of the organization is Lala Wu. Wu is a co-founder of the organization. She was previously the director of engagement and partnerships for the organization. Prior to launching Sister District, she was an attorney who specialized in environmental law. ¹¹

Funding

According to the financial information released by the organization, in the 2022 election cycle it raised $1,295,707 and spent $1,162,243. It had $1,429,330 cash on hand with no debt. ¹²

1. Kotadia, Sonam. “The Sister District Project: A Rising Force in Progressive Politics.” Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, August 7, 2018. https://us.boell.org/en/2018/08/07/sister-district-project-rising-force-progressive-politics.
2. “A Coalition of 240+ Member Organizations Working Together to Make the Promise of Democracy Real for All of Us.” Declaration for American Democracy. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://dfadcoalition.org/.
3. Kotadia, Sonam. “The Sister District Project: A Rising Force in Progressive Politics.” Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, August 7, 2018. https://us.boell.org/en/2018/08/07/sister-district-project-rising-force-progressive-politics.
4. Kotadia, Sonam. “The Sister District Project: A Rising Force in Progressive Politics.” Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, August 7, 2018. https://us.boell.org/en/2018/08/07/sister-district-project-rising-force-progressive-politics.
5. “Lala Wu.” Netroots Nation. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.netrootsnation.org/profile/lala-wu/.
6. Kotadia, Sonam. “The Sister District Project: A Rising Force in Progressive Politics.” Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, August 7, 2018. https://us.boell.org/en/2018/08/07/sister-district-project-rising-force-progressive-politics.
7. Kane, Peter-Astrid. “Sister District Is Doing It for Itself.” SFWeekly, December 27, 2017. https://www.sfweekly.com/archives/sister-district-is-doing-it-for-itself/article_75375fe4-e2cc-576b-ae04-7442fb5c5339.html.
8.  [1]“Our Impact.” Sister District. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://sisterdistrict.com/impact/.
9. Kotadia, Sonam. “The Sister District Project: A Rising Force in Progressive Politics.” Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, August 7, 2018. https://us.boell.org/en/2018/08/07/sister-district-project-rising-force-progressive-politics.
10. “A Coalition of 240+ Member Organizations Working Together to Make the Promise of Democracy Real for All of Us.” Declaration for American Democracy. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://dfadcoalition.org/.
11. “Lala Wu.” Netroots Nation. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.netrootsnation.org/profile/lala-wu/.
12. “PAC Profile: Sister District Project.” OpenSecrets. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/sister-district-project/C00636944/summary/2022.