Elections and Voting
Voting Access for All Communities
Voting is one of the most significant ways for people in the United States to participate in democracy. But our voting system wasn’t built to support equitable participation. To develop a free, fair, and equitable election system, we support those who are building voting power in their communities, while strengthening our election infrastructure.
Participation and Power
To achieve an inclusive, multiracial democracy, we need a free, fair, and equitable voting system. However, our country’s voting system has historically oppressed the full participation of people with marginalized identities. The voting system has especially devalued communities of color, people with disabilities, and citizens with low incomes.
In addition, our election administration system is underfunded and weakened by disinformation. False allegations of voter fraud have lowered trust in our election processes and led to violence against election officials. These false allegations have also allowed state legislators to take control of election outcomes and subvert the will of voters.
We need a voting system that supports all communities in electing leaders who represent their interests.
Our Approach
Elections and Voting strategies promote an election system that consistently produces trusted results, fairly represents the majority of voters, and makes equitable participation possible.
Resilient Elections
When the people who run our elections have the resources they need, they can prevent attempts to tamper with our elections.
We strengthen election infrastructure by funding and training election administrators and calling attention to those who are trying to change election outcomes for partisan gains.
Here's what building election resiliency looks likeVoting Power
Living in an inclusive, multiracial democracy means communities of color are fully involved in all policy decisions and civic issues, especially those that impact them directly.
We invest in long-term and immediate support to pro-democracy organizers building power for civic engagement in their communities, particularly communities of color.
Learn how we're building voting powerOur Team
Lindsay Daniels
Senior Director, Elections and Voting
Janet Hernández
Associate Director, Elections and Voting
Stephanie Román
Program Manager, Elections and Voting
Ben Chang
Senior Program Associate, Elections and Voting
Heather Creek
Associate Director, Program Strategy and Learning
Nia Jones
Team Coordinator, Elections and Voting
George Roderick
Program Associate, Elections and Voting
Ebony West
Senior Program Associate, Elections and Voting
Other Areas of Focus
Democracy Fund strengthens and defends democracy through four core programs.
Governance
American democracy is under threat, and we must protect it, or the harm will be irreparable and generational. The Governance program aims to stop the spread of authoritarianism and government abuses by strengthening infrastructure at the local, state, and federal levels.
Learn more about this workJust and Inclusive Society
Political and climate crises are forcing people to relocate, with communities of color disproportionately affected. The Just and Inclusive Society program works to ensure migrant and refugee communities in the United States have the resources to build and lead an intersectional social movement that protects their rights and addresses global threats.
Learn more about this workPublic Square
Reliable information is getting harder to find, leading to less informed voters and greater threats to democracy. To increase civic participation, the Public Square program invests in those who work to ensure communities have access to the information they need, online and offline.
Learn more about this work