Major Democratic Election Support Organization

The election of state supreme court justices doesn’t always garner national attention. But Judge⁣ Janet Protasiewicz’s⁤ win in‌ Wisconsin earlier this year hit the spotlight with a campaign that shattered previous national fundraising records, and flipped the‌ Wisconsin Supreme Court to the​ left for the first time in 15 years.

Judge Protasiewicz’s win against former state Supreme Court Justice ​Dan Kelly on April 4 also set​ the stage for more significant Democratic victories in Wisconsin and⁤ beyond.

Republicans hold six out of eight Wisconsin U.S. House seats, but a ​liberal court ‌majority will likely consider a lawsuit to overturn Wisconsin’s Republican-drawn legislative maps. Nicole Safar, ‌the executive director of Madison-based​ law firm Law ⁣Forward said‌ her firm ​plans to file a lawsuit once Justice-elect Protasiewicz is sworn ​in‌ on‌ Aug. 1.

Additionally, Wisconsin is expected to again be a pivotal​ swing state in the 2024 presidential election.

In 2016, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton by 0.7 percent in Wisconsin,⁢ or 22,748 votes. But in 2020,‍ Joe Biden narrowly beat Mr. Trump by 0.62 percent, or ⁤20,682 ⁣votes.

If election⁣ lawsuits are ⁤filed in Wisconsin after the 2024 election—like they ‌were after the ⁤2020 election—Ms. Protasiewicz will be one of seven justices to ⁣decide the case.

“By electing​ Judge‍ Janet Protasiewicz, Wisconsin voters have sent a⁤ clear ⁤message⁢ about the kind‍ of state they ‌want‍ to‍ live in,” the America Votes Wisconsin⁣ director and senior ​leadership team said in a press release.

“For the first time in 15 years, progressives ⁢will lead this highly ‌influential ⁣court. The⁤ Badger ⁢State resoundingly ‍voted‌ for a court majority that will protect the fundamental freedoms of abortion and voting rights,‌ the ​rights of ⁢workers, [and] the LGBTQ+ community.”

America Votes​ was crucial to Ms. ⁢Protasiewicz’s⁤ win. Its Wisconsin coalition said it knocked on⁢ more ‍than 535,000 doors, made 678,000 phone calls, and, ‌with​ its partner organizations, delivered nearly 2 million pieces of mail and sent over 4 million text ⁤messages.

The organization credits its efforts for helping to “deliver historic turnout and a critical progressive win in Wisconsin’s​ Supreme Court election.”

The⁤ win in Wisconsin is ⁤just the latest victory for America ⁢Votes, and a⁢ stepping stone for what it hopes to achieve in the future across several key states.

And thanks to the backing of mega-donors like George⁢ Soros’ Open Society and ⁤the liberal⁢ “dark-money” behemoth⁣ Sixteen Thirty Fund, its political sway is substantial.

America ⁢Votes

Initially⁢ designed to get Democrats elected by reducing duplication‌ and wasted resources, America Votes is a 501(c)(4) organization⁤ founded in 2003 by Democratic⁢ activists and liberal political operatives, including Ellen Malcolm, the founder of⁤ pro-abortion ⁢Emily’s Group, former ⁢Clinton administration official ‌Harold Ickes, Sierra Club Executive⁣ Director Carl Pope, Partnership for America’s Families President Steve Rosenthal, and Andy Stern, the president of Service Employees ⁢International Union.

The organization ‍was initially led by Cecile Richards, who went on to ‍become‌ president of Planned Parenthood ‌Federation of‌ America.

Since ​launching, America Votes has‍ become the “coordination ⁢hub of the progressive community,” according to ​its website. It currently has more ‍than 400 state and national partner organizations that it works‍ with to “advance progressive⁢ policies, win elections, and protect⁤ every American’s right to ⁢vote.”

Its partners include the American Federation of Teachers, the Black⁤ Voters⁤ Matter Fund, the Democratic Governors Association, the Environmental Defense Action Fund, the League of Conservative Voters, the LGBTQ Victory Fund, NAACP, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the National ‌Democratic Redistricting Committee,⁣ the National Education Association, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, ⁣the Sierra Club, and numerous others.

America Votes’ 501(c)(4) status means it’s a social welfare organization, ‌which permits it to engage in “some” ‍partisan activity, but that can’t be its “primary”⁢ purpose.

In keeping with that requirement, America Votes claims on ‍its ⁢site that it ⁢carries⁣ out “non-partisan, education-focused programs to engage voters.” It ‍also admits ⁤ it focused on helping ​Democrats in 2022 to counteract the increase in GOP voters.

“GOP primary turnout sharply increased over 2018 ⁢in states like ⁢Arizona⁢ (+60 percent), Georgia (+98 percent), Michigan (+9 ​percent), Nevada (+42 ⁤percent), Pennsylvania (+84 percent), and Wisconsin (+52 percent),” America Votes President Greg Speed wrote on ⁢Medium.

“To meet the ‍looming MAGA Surge, America⁢ Votes and our state ⁢partners are building on our successful Get Out and Spread⁣ Out​ the Vote‍ strategy that worked in 2020. That election was a⁢ turning point for elections⁣ in America,” he said.

During‍ the pandemic ⁢many states rapidly expanded ​mail-in-voting and early voting, which Speed said “opened up⁣ access to ⁣the ballot” and “put Joe Biden in⁤ the White House and gave⁢ Democrats⁢ control of Congress.”

During the 2022 midterms, America Votes zeroed⁤ in on Arizona, Georgia,⁢ Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania,⁤ and Wisconsin, stating that they knocked on ⁤over 17.1 million doors in those states.

“Our⁤ coalition ⁢is‍ executing in the ‌largest, most-coordinated⁢ midterm voter mobilization effort we’ve ever⁢ seen,” Mr. Speed said in a‌ press release. “Midterm elections especially are determined ‌by turnout, and in 2022 America Votes is positioned to ⁤mobilize the largest, most diverse ⁢midterm electorate ever.”

Four days‍ before the 2022 election, Emerson Morrow, the communications⁤ manager⁢ for America‍ Votes, ‌ said ⁤the⁣ efforts employed by America Votes resulted ​in “over 32 million Americans ‍casting their ballots already, including ​high numbers of first-time voters, young voters, and voters ⁢of color in many key states.”

The result, according to America Votes, was that​ progressives outperformed expectations in “nearly every battleground state.”

Money and Power

In addition to being the‌ “coordination hub” for the progressive community, America Votes labels itself the leader of ⁤the largest coalition of progressive organizations.⁢ It ⁢says its coalition “represents ‍the ‍permanent campaign‌ infrastructure built to withstand ‌more ⁣than any single election”—meaning ​they work year-round to advance progressive policies, especially at the state level.

For example, America Votes ⁢ details how ‍during the “2018-2019 legislative session” it had teams of advocates working to influence legislators and election reform policy in Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire, and ​New Mexico.

America Votes can maintain its considerable year-round power thanks to significant support⁣ from funding ⁣behemoths Sixteen Thirty Fund, the Open Society Foundation, and countless others.

In ⁣2021, the Open Society Foundation,⁢ founded by George Soros and now ⁣chaired by his ‍son, Alexander Soros, gave America Votes four grants totaling almost $29.9 million. One grant alone was $23.85 million and was⁤ one of the most significant single grants the Open Society Foundation ⁣awarded in 2021. Open Society hasn’t yet released its 2022 awarded grants. The Open Society Foundation didn’t respond to The⁢ Epoch Times’ request for comment about its donations to⁢ America Votes.

In 2020, during the height of the⁣ presidential election, the Sixteen Thirty Fund ⁢gave America Votes nearly $129 million in‍ grants—the largest ‍grant awarded by the ‍group that year.

Amy​ Kurtz,‌ the president of Sixteen Thirty, said the grants to America Votes ⁢was one of the group’s most “important initiatives … to support ‍their national efforts to ⁤expand access to vote by mail and increase voter turnout in communities of color and among traditionally disenfranchised people.”

The Sixteen Thirty‍ Fund did not respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.

In a U.S. Senate committee testimony ⁣in May 2022, Scott Walter, ‍the president of Capital Research Center, an investigative think tank, ⁣called the Sixteen Thirty​ Fund a “massive ‘dark ⁢money’ ⁣network,” that caters to “big campaign donors ​who want ​to have⁤ impact but hide ‍their identity.”

Plus, ⁢Influence Watch, a watchdog group, notes that Sixteen ⁢Thirty’s donation to America Votes ⁣more than doubled⁢ its revenue from 2019, which likely ⁢facilitated an increase⁤ in America Votes’ own contributions ‍to other organizations.

According to Open Secrets, a​ nonpartisan research⁢ group, in 2018, America Votes’ total contributions to other organizations such as​ the House Majority PAC, the Black PAC, and Planned Parenthood totaled just​ under $14.3 million.

In​ 2020, total donations from America Votes came to just under $60​ million, making it the 13th ⁢“most generous giver” out of 39,467 organizations,⁤ according to Open Secrets.

Controversy and Aggression

In his testimony,⁤ Mr. Walter ‌also detailed how America Votes,⁤ along with other 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations, helped the Voter Registration ‌Project‘s “secretive,‌ multi-year, $100+million plan” to​ turn out Democrats in battleground states. Influence Watch notes that the Voter Registration Project privately⁣ goes ‌by the name “Everybody Votes,” but this‍ “connection between the ‌two⁣ names is kept‍ a secret.” ​Everybody Votes is ‍a ​voter mobilization group.

“Despite all the millions of dollars—and votes—and ​dozens of‌ nonprofits involved, no mainstream ‍media story on this project has ever appeared. Nor as ⁣far as we know, any IRS ‌investigation,” Walter stated.