5 Civic Engagement Groups Fighting to Protect Democracy
These groups are leading the charge on how we win in 2022 and beyond
By Fola Onifade
Photo by Tom Barrett on Unsplash
It’s hardly news by now that President Joe Biden and other Democrats would not have performed as well as they did in the 2020 presidential election or the 2021 Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs if it weren’t for the millions of voters of color and young voters who turned out to the polls in record numbers. Less talked about, however, are the organizations that worked tirelessly to make all of that possible.
Organizers and voting rights groups across the country worked for months, days and hours, knocking on doors, calling prospective voters, and making sure that everyone who had the ability to vote could make their voices heard. Because of these groups, many who still remain under the radar, Democrats were able to flip Georgia and Arizona and win the White House and majority in Congress.
If Democrats want to keep and ideally expand their majorities in Congress this year and hold on to the presidency in 2024, they can’t afford to sleep on these organizations. That means providing these groups with substantial, long-term financial support, and listening to and valuing the expertise of these organizers.
Below are five civic engagement groups you should know and why.
1. New Georgia Project
If you haven’t heard of the New Georgia Project (NGP), that’s about to change right now! Founded by Stacey Abrams in 2014, Democrats would not have been able to win a Senate majority without the efforts of this group. As of 2019, NGP has helped register over half a million voters across Georgia’s 159 counties, contributing to the massive voter turnout in 2020 and 2021.
This midterm, New Georgia Project is working to get Senator Raphael Warnock reelected. They are also helping Rep. Bee Nguyen become the first Asian American Secretary of State, a seat that is increasingly important given the role the SOS plays in certifying state election results.
To learn more about the work in Georgia that helped flipped the state, listen to our podcast episode with New Georgia Project Action Fund’s Nse Ufot and check out Stacey Abrams and Lauren Groh-Wargo’s piece in The New York Times detailing exactly how they flipped this red state blue.
2. Florida Rising
Florida remains an important battleground state. While mainstream media sources love to focus on Latino voters who vote Republican (ultimately a small fraction of Latinos as a whole), the reality is that Florida’s Latino population is extremely diverse. Millions of folks within this population support progressive candidates and policies.
Florida Rising is a civic engagement group that has built a presence in 13 counties in the state as well as a larger network of like-minded groups in all 54 counties. This midterm, Florida Rising is working to help Democrats expand their majorities in Congress, including Rep. Val Demings who is running to replace Republican Senator Marco Rubio as the first African American Senator from the state.
Read this Scalawag article by Anoa Changa to find out more about the organization’s work in the state. Then check out this chapter in Power Concedes Nothing penned by Florida Rising’s Executive Director Andrea Mercado titled “Florida’s Rising Majority Learns from Its Wins — and Its Opponents.”
3. Texas Organizing Project
Compared to other states, Texas has the greatest demographic potential to upend the balance of power in the U.S. In 2020, Biden came within 631k votes of winning Texas, a state that has over 4 million unregistered voters of color. Imagine if just half of them voted every election cycle!
The Texas Organizing Project (TOP) is a voting rights group dedicated to harnessing the power of people of color in Texas. Founded in 2009, the group has over 285,000 members and has reached over 6 million voters, many of whom are Black and Latino. With the right level of support to fight back against some of the worst voter suppression in the country, Texas can become an increasingly viable battleground state for Democrats and progressives.
Check out this Scalawag article by Anoa Changa to learn more about the group from TOP’s co-Executive Director Brianna Brown.
4. LUCHA (Living United for Change)
In 2020, the Democratic victory in Arizona thwarted Trump’s plan to prematurely claim he had won the presidential election. That victory was a decade in the making, a result of politically engaged Arizonans who organized and fought back against the heinous SB1070 or “show me your papers” bill that enabled police officers to behave as immigration agents back in 2010.
LUCHA, which was founded in 2010, was one of those groups. Since its founding, hundreds of thousands of voters have been brought into the political process. This year, Arizona remains a key state with an important gubernatorial race and Senate race, and LUCHA’s role in driving voters to the poll will be critical.
Read this 2019 New York Times piece from the group’s Co-Executive Directors Alejandra Gomez and Tomás Robles on how to turn anger and fear into political power. And check out our episode with strategist John Loredo to learn more about the work happening in Arizona.
5. Communities for New California
Most people see California as a safe blue state. While that’s true, there’s still plenty of pockets where Republicans remain competitive, including several districts across the Golden State that offer Democrats multiple opportunities to expand their majority in the House.
Communities for a New California is a civic engagement group founded in 2011 that’s been organizing voters of color in these competitive districts to help grow progressive power in Congress. Under the leadership of Founding Executive Director Pablo Rodriguez, the group has reached over 13 counties and engaged over 250K voters.
This midterm election, there will be several contestable Republican seats in California. With the right support, CNC’s work can help boost turnout and increase Democrat’s chances of winning more House seats.
To learn more about these groups and similar organizations doing the work to advance democracy and justice, check out our newly launched Election Playbook.