SPREAD THE VOTE

We have three overarching goals we’d like to accomplish within the next 24 months:

1. Spread The Vote will facilitate the acquisition of a minimum of 6,000 IDs for individuals in
our current service.
2. Spread The Vote will expand to provide services to a total of 25 states.
3. Spread The Vote will develop 100 partnerships with local service providers.

We have obtained almost 7000 IDs in 4 years, a hard won number that we are very proud of. As we get back on the ground and as DMVs and Social Security offices open more throughout the year we will get back to, and above, our pre-COVID rate of obtaining IDs. Paired with our state expansion and partnership efforts, our anticipated outcome is that more people will turnout for the 2022 elections, including many who have never voted before.

Spread The Vote is currently operating chapters in Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, and has recently expanded to New York, with California, Illinois, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Massachusetts expansions expected in Q2. Chapters are managed by volunteer leadership and field staff, overseen by a Director of Volunteers and Chief Operating Officer. Each of our volunteers participates in a vigorous screening and training process to familiarize them with organizational goals and policies and the procedures for obtaining identification in their state.

As more and more of our staff and volunteers become fully vaccinated, we are slowly re-integrating in-person activities (taking reasonable precautions). In the upcoming months, we will continue to provide ID assistance, create election guides for local elections and advocate for more equitable ID laws.

Spread The Vote is managed by a national team and supported by state and regional field staff who assist with ground operations. As an organization, we have developed the infrastructure necessary to recruit and train local volunteers, develop strategic partnerships and quickly establish working chapters. We currently track demographic and service information for each client served and have the software in place to quickly expand.

Spread The Vote has over 200 partners across the country including: Florida Department of Corrections, New Orleans Public Defenders, American Constitution Society, Indivisible, Ace New York, and True Worth. As you may imagine, the COVID-19 crisis required our organization to make significant changes to the way that we generally operate, including developing solutions that allowed our staff and volunteers to serve remotely and providing essential information in our voter guides and education materials on voting by mail, and significantly expanding our partner operations.

We have over 1000 trained volunteers across the country and field staffers in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia. They work directly with our clients to procure supplementary documents, provide transportation and advocacy at government offices, provide necessary funds, and obtain IDs. Spread The Vote maintains consistent communication and support with our clients until their ID is in-hand.

Because 77% of Spread The Vote’s clients have never voted before, and 100% cannot without our assistance, STV operates a comprehensive get out the vote operation, including developing election guides tailored to first time, low information voters, hosting voter education events for our clients and communities, providing transportation and comfort at the polls, and operating the only national program to help incarcerated citizens vote across the country. Through our efforts, we have increased voter turnouts among our clients from 0% to 40%.