Project Vote

Project Vote
Formation 1994
Type 501(c)(3) non-profit
Purpose Voter registration
Location
Executive Director
 Michael Slater
Website projectvote.org
Formerly called
 Voting for America

Project Vote (and Voting for America, Inc.)[1] is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that works to mobilize marginalized and under-represented voters. Its current executive director is Michael Slater, who has worked for Project Vote since 2004.[2] Project Vote's efforts to engage low income and minority voters in the civic process include the provision of training, management, evaluation and technical services.[3][4]

History

A national organization known as Project VOTE!, originally a project of Americans for Civic Participation, was active between 1982 and 1993, and after reorganizing formed the foundation of today's organization. Project VOTE! is best remembered for a highly successful Chicago voter registration drive run by Barack Obama in 1992.[5][6][7]

Project Vote in its present form was incorporated in 1994 as Voting for America, Inc., and in 1997 began registering as Project Vote/Voting for America. In 2010, the organization dropped Voting for America from its registered name.[8]

Between 1994 and 2008,[6] Project Vote often coordinated voter registration campaigns with local chapters of ACORN,[9][10][11] and Project Vote's board members also had membership in ACORN prior to the summer of 2008.[12] Project Vote has also worked with organizations such as Demos, National Voting Rights Institute, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, and the Fair Elections Legal Network regarding election administration policy and voting rights, including enforcement of the National Voter Registration Act through research, litigation and technical assistance.

In February 2012, Voting for America/Project Vote filed a federal lawsuit suit on behalf of organizations dedicated to registering citizens to vote challenging Texas' burdensome restrictions on voter registration drives.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "GuideStar database of charities and nonprofits". JustGive.org. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  2. ↑ "Our Staff" ProjectVote.org
  3. ↑ "Our Mission" ProjectVote.org
  4. ↑ Law and Election Politics: The Rules of the Game; Matthew Justin Streb; Routledge Publishing; pg. 118
  5. ↑ Reynolds, Gretchen (January 1993). "Vote of Confidence". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
  6. 1 2 "Project Vote not 'an arm of ACORN'". PolitiFact.com. St. Petersburg Times/CQ. 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
  7. ↑ Social Change Philanthropy in America; Alan Rabinowitz; Greenwood Publishing Group; 1990; pg. 198
  8. ↑ Corporations Database. Louisiana Secretary of State's Web Site. https://coraweb.sos.la.gov/CommercialSearch/CommercialSearchDetails.aspx?CharterID=427113_RK73
  9. ↑ Fessenden, Ford (2004-09-26). "A Big Increase of New Voters in Swing States". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ "Fighting For Every Last Vote". TIME magazine. 2004-10-18.
  11. ↑ Slater, Michael (September 2007). "Voter Fraud?". National Voter.
  12. ↑ Stephanie Strom (22 October 2008), Acorn Report Raises Issues of Legality The New York Times
  13. ↑ Voting for America v. Steen; Brennan Center for Justice; November 21, 2012
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