Statement: Voter Participation Center/Center for Voter Information Respond to Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen

WASHINGTON, DC – In a press release issued today, the Alabama Secretary of State grossly mischaracterized the essential work that we do to register eligible Americans to vote. The goal of the Voter Participation Center (VPC) and Center for Voter Information (CVI) is to register and turn out eligible voters in Alabama. This is non-partisan work and its aim is one that all election administrators should support. This is about bringing democracy to eligible American’s doorsteps. 

VPC and CVI focus largely on underrepresented populations – people of color, young people, and unmarried women. Since 2003, VPC and CVI have helped more than 6.1 million people register to vote. Our mail programs have a tangible and positive impact on the voters, and on representative democracy. In Alabama alone, VPC and CVI will be sending out more than 138,000 pieces of mail.

Eligible Alabamians can simply fill out the state voter registration form, sign it, and mail in their voter registration application. VPC and CVI use the very same voter registration forms used by county election officials and, as stated by Secretary of State Allen, we provide sample letters to state election officials months before the mailers go out. If an individual receives our mailer and is already registered to vote, they can simply discard it. We make this clear in the letter that voters receive from our organizations. 

Our hope is that all election officials will support our efforts to promote democracy, instead of misleading and alarming voters about our effective and non-partisan voter registration programs.

The Voter Participation Center and Center for Voter Information are non-profit, non-partisan organizations founded in 2003 to help members of the New American Majority – unmarried women, people of color and young people – register and vote. Since then, the organizations have helped 5.7 million people register and cast ballots.