.png)
ABOUT
WE VOTE. WE WIN.
OUR MISSION & VISION.
The mission of We Vote. We Win. is to advocate for policies that reduce inequality, increase minority representation, and generate power for marginalized communities by increasing voter turnout through education, civic engagement, leadership development, and direct action.
The vision of We Vote We Win is to secure and preserve universal, equal access to the right to vote for all citizens regardless of heritage, race, creed, class, or social status.
OUR HISTORY.
We Vote. We Win. a 501 (c)(4) organization, originated in 2014 as part of an effort to expand transit services to minority populations on Atlanta’s Southside, many of whom lacked private automobiles. These citizens were largely unable to pursue jobs, shopping, and other everyday activities that were concentrated in neighborhoods far from their location—mostly to the city’s north.
A large number of these stranded families had been displaced from the city core due to the demolition of public housing and loss of other affordable shelter following the 1996 summer Olympics. For decades Atlanta’s minority residents had attempted to secure funding to expand MARTA, the region’s transit system, but opposition from suburban predominantly White communities always resulted in the funding effort being defeated. In 2016 a referendum to fund expansion of MARTA was once again on the ballot, and We Vote. We Win. was working with “Friends of Clayton County Transit,” a coalition of community groups, to ensure its passage in Clayton County, as well as targeting voters in the City of Atlanta, Fulton, and DeKalb counties.
From Transit Justice To National Impact
The 2016 transit referendum passed, bolstered by high turnout in jurisdictions targeted by We Vote. We Win. Extensive planning, organizing, canvassing, voter registration, and get-out-the-vote activities in those Southside communities overcame the traditional Northside opposition. It was a massive, unprecedented victory for Southside empowerment. After the transit victory, We Vote. We Win paused its intensive organizing activity, but a coalition of non-profit voter education organizations continued to serve and expand the electoral base its work had developed. Then came the 2020 national election. As the last votes were counted in an extremely close contest to determine Georgia’s future political identity, the City of Atlanta and its Southside jurisdictions—Fulton, DeKalb, and Clayton counties—provided the margin that flipped the state and eventually elected Georgia’s first Black and Jewish senators. Unprecedented voter turnout in the We Vote. We Win. base had provided those critical votes.
Response To Voter Suppression
Reacting to this unexpected and unwelcome wave of voter enthusiasm from its minority population, the Georgia Legislature immediately enacted Senate Bill 202, one of the most draconian voter suppression laws in the country. The law shut down polling sites in minority communities, eliminated drop boxes, outlawed most assistance with mail-in ballots, reduced early voting periods, and even made a punishable offense of offering a drink of water to citizens waiting in long lines to cast their votes in person. It was an attempt to stifle minority voter participation across the state. To counter this radical threat to basic voting rights, We Vote. We Win. resumed active voter education and mobilization activities in 2021, operating from the Movement Center, a 10,000 sq. ft. multi-purpose facility in Atlanta, but also serving jurisdictions around Albany, Macon, Savannah, and Augusta, Georgia.
Unlocking Georgia’s Progressive Future
Today from its Movement Center headquarters We Vote. We Win. conducts a large-scale, state-wide voter education and mobilization operation that includes phone banking that generates daily contact with thousands of voters by voice, email, and text. On-site conference facilities host meetings as well as planning and training sessions for activists and volunteers. Promotional messages, videos, and social media campaigns are produced from its fully equipped digital studios. These capabilities make We Vote. We Win. a major player in Georgia’s shifting political profile, preserving and enlarging its Atlanta regional voter base, while expanding its successful model to other metropolitan centers across the state.
WHERE WE WORK.
Headquartered in Atlanta, the We Vote. We Win. team works across five major cities in Georgia. Click on the pins below to contact or locate the appropriate office.
PARTNERS.
We Vote. We Win. is joined by several local, grassroots organizations that share the same goal to build and enrich community power to influence local, state, and national elections.
