A #strong #democracy and trusted #electoral #system are foundational requirements for progress on any number of issues.
Donors who haven’t funded in this area, or see democracy issues as outside their interests, should
take a wider view of how to advance their values.
Donors who already support work on voting and elections should
consider ramping up their giving during this period of growing threats to U.S. democracy
️Where to Donate for Voting Rights and Democracy
Organizations focused on protecting and strengthening electoral systems.
Donors must first and foremost invest in shoring up the democratic system in the short term.
This means supporting #legal #efforts to
push back on unfounded claims of fraud as well as
challenging unfair election laws.
Funding for this strategy should also go to groups focused on
making voting easier and more accessible,
advocating for policies like
expanded early voting,
automatic and same day registration, and the
repeal of felony disenfranchisement laws.
On the legal side, donors can support the
Brennan Center for Justice, https://www.brennancenter.org/
NAACP Legal Defense Fund, https://naacpldf.org/
Demos https://www.demos.org/
and Campaign Legal Center https://campaignlegal.org/
All four groups engage in #litigation, #research and #policy advocacy.
Organizing for a more expansive and inclusive democracy.
Low-income people, communities of color and young people participate in elections and civic life at lower levels than the general public.
To create a more representative democracy and advance progressive change, donors should invest in organizations that work to engage these voters.
Groups like
Community Change https://www.communitychange.org/
and Center for Popular Democracy https://www.populardemocracy.org/
both work with and support #grassroots groups and leaders throughout the country,
with a focus on #working #class #communities of #color.
Donors can also support the
Voter Participation Center and its c4 arm,
the Center for Voter Information, https://www.centerforvoterinformation.org/
which work to increase turnout among “#new #American #majority” voters,
as well as support groups focused on #young #voters,
such as
NextGen America https://nextgenamerica.org/
and
TurnUp https://www.turnup.us/
Groups advocating for democratic reforms.
A range of reforms can help create a democracy that is more responsive,
offering voters more choices and fostering fairer outcomes as well as increased trust in our electoral system.
Donors can support
FairVote, https://fairvote.org/
which advocates for #ranked #choice voting and #proportional #representation,
and has already had some success at the state and local levels;
and
Unite America, https://www.uniteamerica.org/
which focuses on #independent #redistricting, #primary #reform,
as well as #instant #runoff voting.
