Who We Are - Voter Protection Project

ABOUT US

What We Do

The Voter Protection Project is one of the largest voting rights organizations in the country. We’re fighting on the frontlines to stop Republicans’ attacks on our right to vote by ensuring every American has the right to cast a ballot.

We refuse to sit back as Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, and conservative legislatures around the country attack our fundamental right to vote. They know the best way to stay in power isn’t with a unifying message Americans can rally behind – it’s rooted in deliberate efforts to keep young Americans, people of color, and disenfranchised communities from casting a ballot.

The Voter Protection Project seeks to ensure not only that we fight back against the relentless attacks on our right to vote – but that we make sure that those in power who wish to disenfranchise Americans never hold office again.

With Donald Trump running for President again, Republicans in the majority in Congress, and Mitch McConnel a few votes away from controlling the Senate we must fight back. The Democratic Party is the only party fighting to protect our fundamental right to vote. Enough is enough.

VPP is committed to the philosophy that offense is the best defense. That’s why for every attack on voting rights, we will strike back. We will confront the architects of voter suppression and defeat them at the ballot box. We will expand enfranchisement by electing candidates that are champions for voter equality and fair elections.

Our mission is clear. We are committed to:

Advocating for an aggressive agenda to expand voting rights through electoral action

Leading the fight against voter suppression efforts at the state and federal level by defeating those Republicans who seek to suppress our right to vote

Our bold agenda to ensure that every state has:

Automatic voter registration and online voter registration
Same day registration
Convenient early voting
“No excuse” absentee voting
An adequate number of polling locations, personnel, and voting booths
Restoration of voting rights to previously convicted Americans who have completed their sentences
Pre-paid postage for absentee voting
Eliminate voter ID requirements

In 2022

VPP was funded by over 1 million grassroots donations!

With an average gift of $14.22, VPP invested over $6 million to support voting rights champions in critical U.S House and Governor races and keep the Senate under Democratic control. VPP helped recruit, develop, and support candidates up and down the ballot including raising over $1.2 million in tandem digital donations to our endorsed candidates.

Making the difference in key races

VPP endorsed 80+ voting rights champions this cycle, raising over $1.2 million in tandem fundraising and cutting over $360,000 in hardside contributions. VPP focused on the following priorities:
- Critical Governor races in Arizona and Pennsylvania where Democrats Katie Hobbs and Josh Shapiro won tough elections.
- Toss-up elections in the US House when Democrats overperformed dooms day predictions to hold Republicans to a slim House majority . VPP endorsed the following incoming Freshman and endangered incumbents
  - Maxwell Alejandro Frost FL-10
  - Seth Magaziner RI-02
  - Emilia Sykes OH-13
  - Greg Landsman OH-01
  - Marie Perez WA-03
  - Don Davis NC-01
  - Jared Moscowitz FL-23
  - Wiley Nickel NC-13
  - Hillary Scholten MI-03
  - Andrea Salinas OR-06
  - Yadira Caraveo CO-08
  - Rep. Elissa Slotkin MI-08
  - Rep. Theresa Leger Fernandez NM-03
  - Rep. Sharice Davids (KS-02)
  - Rep Dan Kildee (MI-08)
- Went all in to help retain Democratic control of the Senate by raising over $820,000 in tandem digital fundraising dollars.
  - VPP and their affiliated PACs raised over 6-figures each in tandem digital fundraising dollars for Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and Rep. Tim Ryan who ran in Ohio.

VPP also proudly partnered with the House Majority PAC, Congressional Black Caucus PAC and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ BOLD PAC to engage in over $1.2 million in independent expenditures.

In CA-42 VPP supported Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia in the primary and helped elevate him into the general election over a problematic and scandal-ridden Democratic rival effectively ending the election in June as the Republican candidate only captured 31% of the vote in November.
VPP engaged in 3 general election IE’s where Libertarian candidates on the ballot provided an opportunity to drag Republican vote totals down on November 6th. In two of these districts, Democrats Sharice David (KS-02) and Dan Kildee (MI-08) were able to win their toss-up elections.

In 2020

VPP was funded by over 120,000 grassroots donations

We invested over $8 million to support voting rights champions in their first cycle helping fund critical U.S Senate candidates, keep the House under Democratic control, and critical state legislative races ahead the 2022 redistricting. VPP helped recruit, develop, and support candidates up and down the ballot including raising over $1 million in direct donations to our endorsed candidates.

Making the difference in key races

VPP endorsed over 80 voting rights champions this cycle including 2020 standouts like Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Mark Kelley (US -AZ), Abigail Spanberger (VA -07), Peter Defazio (OR-04), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-3), and Elaine Luria (VA-02).
VPP went all in for the Georgia Senate runoff election in January by investing over $1.3 million in digital ads, direct mail, TV, and over 6 figures in direct donations to both campaigns. VPP was honored to be a part of the diverse coalition that elected voting rights champions Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossof to the Senate, victories that flipped control of this critical chamber back to the Democrats in 2021.
VPP finds the good fight

VPP was proud to help elect and re-elect diverse representatives who are making history including:

Being the biggest IE spender in New York’s 15th congressional district sending Ritchie Torres, the first Gay and Afro-Latino member of Congress
Defending Rep. Peter Defazio who faced one of the NRCC’s top recruits and fundraisers in a tough district that President Donald Trump lost by less than one-tenth of a point in 2016
Electing Mark Kelley to the U.S Senate, making history in the Grand Canyon State which will be represented by 2 Democrats in that chamber for the first time in nearly 70 years
Electing Teresa Leger Fernadez, the first female and Latina, to represent New Mexico’s 3rd District
Raising over $100,000 for frontline member Rep. Katie Porter in her first defense of California’s recently flipped 45th district
Helping flip North Carolina’s 6th Congressional district and 18th State Senate seat flip from red to blue and electing voting rights champions Kathy Manning and Sarach Crawford

“The Voter Protection Project played an instrumental part in our victory in New York’s 15th Congressional District. As the largest outside spender in the race they prevented a key ally of Donald Trump from being the next representative in New York 15. In addition to the $490,000 they spent on TV, digital ads and direct mail to boost my candidacy, VPP also used their robust digital infrastructure to grow our grassroots fundraising program. VPP understands that to make our elections accessible for all – it’s essential that we elect voting rights champions to office.”

REP. Ritchie Torres, NY-15

“I was proud to have the endorsement and support of VPP for my reelection in 2022 and look forward to continuing to work with them to maintain Democratic control of the Senate and protect and expand voting rights for every American.”