Black Voter Project

Black Voter Project
Name	Black Voter Project
Formation	2016
Founder	Cliff Albright; LaTosha Brown
Type	Nonprofit; advocacy
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia
Region served	United States

Black Voter Project is a civic engagement organization focused on increasing electoral participation among African American communities through voter registration, mobilization, and education efforts. Founded amid the 2016 United States presidential election cycle, the group has engaged with national campaigns, local grassroots networks, and institutional partners to influence turnout in federal, state, and municipal contests. Its activities intersect with broader movements and institutions including the Civil Rights Movement, NAACP, Black Lives Matter, Democratic Party (United States), and a range of civic coalitions.

History

The organization emerged in the aftermath of the 2016 United States presidential election and traces its roots to activists who worked on campaigns such as Barack Obama 2008, Bernie Sanders 2016, and voter protection efforts during the 2013 Supreme Court decisions concerning the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Founders who previously collaborated with groups like Color of Change, MoveOn, and PowerPAC+ established operations in Atlanta, Georgia with national mobilization projects targeting states such as Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Over the 2016–2020 cycle the group coordinated with campaigns of figures including Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Stacey Abrams, and municipal leaders in cities like Detroit, Philadelphia, and Miami.

Mission and Activities

The stated mission centers on increasing Black voter registration, turnout, and civic participation through community organizing, data-driven canvassing, and allied litigation support tied to entities such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Brennan Center for Justice, and local NAACP LDF chapters. Programmatic activities have included voter registration drives, Get Out The Vote (GOTV) operations during cycles involving candidates like Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and educational campaigns referencing historical milestones like the Selma to Montgomery marches and legislation such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Leadership has included founders with prior experience in organizations such as Black Voters Matter, United We Dream, and Rock the Vote, alongside staff from advocacy groups including Sierra Club and Human Rights Campaign. The organizational structure blends a small national staff with regional directors placed in battleground states including Georgia, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas. Boards and advisors have featured civil rights figures, civic technologists, and campaign operatives who previously worked with offices of politicians like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Al Sharpton, and John Lewis.

Campaigns and Voter Engagement Strategies

Campaign tactics combine door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, text outreach, and social media strategies leveraging platforms associated with tech firms and cultural institutions referenced by activists such as Ava DuVernay, Kendrick Lamar, Oprah Winfrey, and Chance the Rapper. The group has mounted targeted programs during high-profile contests including the 2020 United States presidential election, the 2018 United States midterm elections, and gubernatorial races featuring candidates like Brian Kemp and Gretchen Whitmer. Engagement strategies emphasize relational organizing used by movements like Black Lives Matter and the Civil Rights Movement, while adapting tactics from digital campaigns run by teams in Silicon Valley and data outfits akin to Catalist and TargetSmart.

Impact and Controversies

Supporters credit the organization with contributing to increased turnout in pivotal contests such as the 2020 United States presidential election and the 2021 Georgia Senate runoffs, citing partnerships with coalitions that included Fair Fight Action and civic leaders like Stacey Abrams. Critics and watchdogs have raised questions similar to those faced by other groups, referencing challenges about ballot access, coordination with political parties like the Democratic Party (United States), and compliance issues reviewed by state election authorities in Georgia and Florida. Debates have referenced legal and policy frameworks involving the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Help America Vote Act, and court cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Partnerships and Funding

The organization has partnered with national nonprofits and foundations including entities comparable to the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Rockefeller Foundation, and philanthropic networks that support civic engagement alongside membership organizations such as the NAACP, SisterSong, and National Urban League. Funding sources reported in public discourse include private foundations, individual donors, and cooperative grants coordinated with civic initiatives like When We All Vote and voter protection efforts linked to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Category:Civil rights organizations in the United States