Getting voters to the polls for an election is no easy feat. It requires ensuring that voters are registered, that they are knowledgeable and engaged around the issues on the ballot, and that they have all the information they need about how, when, and where to vote. Adding to the challenge now are widespread mis- and dis-information and dwindling trust in elections and in government more broadly. Join BADF for a happy hour where we will explore the fundamental question: what does it take to mobilize voters?
Joined by Luis Lozada, CEO of Democracy Works and Tatenda Musapatike, CEO and Founder of Voter Formation Project, we’ll explore the innovative ways each of their organizations are using technology in their efforts to inform and turn out voters. Luis and the team at Democracy Works focus on providing reliable voting guidance through the websites, apps, and groups voters trust. In preparation for the 2024 election, Democracy Works will also turn their expertise towards a new challenge: making sure generative AI tools are sharing accurate information about how to vote. Meanwhile, Voter Formation Project uses long-term digital advertising strategies - including some of Democracy Works’ tools - to engage, register, and mobilize new and infrequent voters of color. For the 2024 election, VFP will be working to increase the participation of hard-to-reach Black and Latiné audiences in battleground states. Using innovative ad buying targeting techniques, VFP will place culturally relevant content directly in front of people who would otherwise not be exposed to online civic engagement and voting information.
At this happy hour, we’ll hear about bright spots and challenges in each organization’s work, and the ways that broad and targeted approaches like these can complement each other to help every American vote.
As with all BADF happy hours, there will be plenty of time for conversation with both our speakers and with your fellow funders. We hope to see you there!
Covid Safety:
This event will be hosted indoors, but in a fairly open-air space (weather permitting). We request that all attendees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
About Democracy Works:
Democracy Works is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that collaborates with election officials, leading tech platforms, and world-class partners to drive voter access and participation. Their flagship tool, TurboVote, provides individuals with registration and mail ballot assistance and sends users timely, personalized election notifications to help them participate in every election. Democracy Works also offers its elections data in an API, providing comprehensive voting guidance for thousands of local, state, and federal elections each year.
About Voter Formation Project:
Voter Formation Project increases participation in elections using long-term digital advertising campaigns to engage, register, and mobilize new and infrequent voters of color. VFP’s strategy centers on placing culturally relevant, pro-democracy, pro-civic engagement messaging on social media and other online platforms well before elections, and then asking people to register and vote. VFP fills a significant gap in the voter engagement ecosystem as the sole digital-only, Black-led organization to focus on this kind of long-term civic engagement messaging to hard-to-reach communities of color.
About Bay Area Democracy Funders:
Bay Area Democracy Funders is the regional affiliate of Democracy Funders Network (DFN), a cross-ideological learning and action community for donors concerned about the health of American democracy. DFN serves new and existing funders in the democracy field, and actively seeks to grow the democracy funding community by creating a network for donors who want to learn together, build and strengthen relationships, and ultimately identify opportunities for coordination and collaboration. DFN’s mission is to ensure that the United States remains a robust liberal democracy a century from now.