The Voter Participation Center

The Voter Participation Center (VPC) is a United States nonprofit organization focused on expanding voter registration and electoral participation. Founded in 2003 as Women's Voices Women Vote by Democratic political consultant Page Gardner, the organization originally concentrated on unmarried women, whom its research identified as registering and voting at lower rates than married women. It used this research to promote the idea of a “marriage gap” in political participation and to encourage unmarried, separated, divorced, and widowed women to register and vote. The organization broadened its scope in 2008 to include young people and people of color, groups that it collectively describes as the “New American Majority.” VPC uses this term for demographic communities that together represent a large share of the U.S. voting-eligible population but, in its view, have historically been underrepresented in registration and turnout. In 2011, Women's Voices Women Vote formally adopted the name The Voter Participation Center to reflect this wider mission, while its affiliated 501(c)(4) organization continued operating under the name Center for Voter Information. VPC's principal operating method is large-scale direct outreach. It identifies people it believes may be eligible but unregistered, sends voter-registration materials by mail, provides information about registration and voting procedures, and conducts programs intended to increase turnout. It has also worked on vote-by-mail and absentee-ballot initiatives, often testing communications against control groups before broader distribution. The organization states that it shares research, testing results, and outreach models with nonprofit groups seeking to improve participation at the local, state, and national levels. Research and public education are another part of its work. VPC has commissioned or co-published studies with polling and research firms including Lake Research Partners, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, Anna Greenberg, Stan Greenberg, and Celinda Lake. Its reports have examined registration and turnout patterns, unmarried women's political behavior, demographic change, voting access, election administration, and policy issues affecting its target communities. It has also partnered with organizations such as the National Women's Law Center, the Center for American Progress, and Voto Latino. The center's activities have periodically generated controversy. Election officials, political campaigns, journalists, and voter advocates have questioned the accuracy of some targeting, the clarity of mail and telephone communications, and the use of voter-history information. In 2008, North Carolina authorities investigated confusing automated calls aimed at African American voters, resulting in an order to stop the calls and a reported $100,000 fine. During later election cycles, officials criticized registration mailings sent to people who were already registered or potentially ineligible, although some officials also described the organization's targeting as comparatively effective. In 2020, its affiliated organization drew criticism in North Carolina for sending absentee-ballot request materials with pre-filled sections that state law prohibited. Before the 2024 election, VPC and its affiliated organization sent “Voting Report Card” mailers displaying recipients' names, addresses, and publicly available voting-history information, along with references to neighbors' records. Critics described the notices as intrusive or intimidating. Maryland's attorney general issued a cease-and-desist letter alleging violations of Maryland law and the federal Voting Rights Act. These disputes reflect the tension between large-scale turnout operations and concerns about privacy, accuracy, political influence, and voter confusion. VPC remains an active U.S. civic-engagement nonprofit whose work combines direct mail, research, public education, and registration and turnout campaigns.

The organization was established in 2003 as Women's Voices Women Vote, a project founded by Page Gardner to address comparatively low voter registration and turnout among unmarried women. Its early work was based on research into what it called the “marriage gap,” the difference in political participation between married and unmarried women. Initial studies released in 2004 argued that marital status was a significant predictor of registration and voting and used the 2000 election as an illustration of the potential electoral effect of higher participation among unmarried women. During the 2004 election cycle, the organization combined research with public outreach. Actress Jennifer Aniston appeared in a televised public service announcement encouraging unmarried, separated, divorced, and widowed women to register and vote. In subsequent years, the group produced educational material and worked with partner organizations on voting information for women. It collaborated with the National Women's Law Center in 2006 and 2010 on voting-related information sheets. Preparation for the 2008 presidential election brought a significant expansion in media and direct-mail activity. The organization launched a public service campaign featuring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and created the “Our First Time” campaign, in which prominent women discussed their first voting experiences. It also mailed registration forms to selected voters and used automated calls to alert recipients that materials would arrive. According to VPC, its 2008 activity produced slightly fewer than one million registration applications in 35 states. The 2008 cycle also produced the organization's most prominent early regulatory dispute. Automated calls made during the North Carolina Democratic primary were reported to have confused African American voters about whether they were registered. The calls did not clearly identify VPC as their source. North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper ordered the calls stopped, and the organization was reported to have paid a $100,000 fine. VPC's vendor relationships also received scrutiny after reports that it paid nearly $800,000 for telephone services to Integral Resources, a company then run by Ron Rosenblith, who was married to Gardner. Other contracts involving companies connected to board members were also questioned. In 2010, the organization published research on barriers to registration and turnout, including restrictive rules affecting early and absentee voting, voter-identification requirements, and inconsistent state registration procedures. Its “Access to Democracy” report addressed obstacles to voting, while work with the Center for American Progress examined policy issues affecting unmarried women's economic security. A separate study with Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research analyzed differences between married and unmarried women's voting preferences. The organization broadened its demographic mission in 2008 to include young people and people of color, alongside unmarried women. It described these groups as the “New American Majority,” a term used in its research and communications to emphasize their combined size within the voting-eligible population. In 2011, Women's Voices Women Vote changed its formal name to The Voter Participation Center. Its affiliated 501(c)(4) entity, Women's Voices Women Vote Action Fund, continued under the name Center for Voter Information and focused more directly on turnout and get-out-the-vote work. VPC continued to use direct mail, research, public service advertising, and partnerships through later election cycles. It reported mailing 7.4 million registration forms in 13 states during 2016. In 2018 it estimated that the New American Majority represented 142 million people, or approximately 62 percent of the U.S. voting-eligible population. For 2020, it announced its largest registration effort to that point, with a goal of registering one million voters and plans to send 5.4 million registration forms, including approximately 520,000 to Pennsylvania voters. The organization also conducted polling and advocated against registration deadlines it considered unnecessarily restrictive. The 2020 election cycle brought further criticism. Some election officials objected to targeting errors in registration mailings. In North Carolina, the affiliated Center for Voter Information sent as many as 80,000 absentee-ballot request forms with pre-filled sections, despite a state prohibition on that practice. After the issue was identified, the organization said subsequent mailings would contain blank forms. In the weeks before the 2024 presidential election, VPC and its affiliated organization distributed “Voting Report Card” letters that displayed recipients' names, addresses, and voting histories beginning with the 2016 general election, as well as purported information about neighbors' voting records. Recipients and critics characterized the mailings as invasive or intimidating because they suggested that post-election review would determine whether recipients had voted. Maryland's attorney general issued a cease-and-desist letter alleging violations of Maryland law and the Voting Rights Act. The episode renewed debate about the use of voter-history data in turnout campaigns and the boundary between participation reminders and pressure tactics. Gardner announced that she would leave VPC effective November 15, 2020. The organization remains an active U.S. nonprofit focused on voter registration, turnout, voting-access research, and civic engagement.

• 2024

  Voting Report Card mailers prompt Maryland enforcement action

  [1]Voter Participation Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Mailers displaying voting-history information lead Maryland's attorney general to issue a cease-and-desist letter.

• 2020

  Largest voter-registration campaign announced

  [1]Voter Participation Centeren.wikipedia.org

  VPC announces a goal of registering one million voters and mailing 5.4 million registration forms.

• 2016

  Large registration-mailing program

  [1]Voter Participation Centeren.wikipedia.org

  VPC reports mailing 7.4 million registration forms across 13 states.

• 2011

  Organization adopts the Voter Participation Center name

  [1]Voter Participation Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Women's Voices Women Vote changes its name to reflect its broader voter-participation mission.

• 2008

  Mission expands to the New American Majority

  [1]Voter Participation Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Young people and people of color are added to the organization's principal target groups.

• 2004

  Initial marriage-gap research is released

  [1]Voter Participation Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The organization publishes early studies arguing that unmarried women register and vote at lower rates than married women.

• 2003

  Women's Voices Women Vote is founded

  [1]Voter Participation Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Page Gardner establishes the organization to increase political participation among unmarried women.

Nonpartisan civic-engagement organization focused on increasing registration and turnout among young people, people of color, and unmarried women.

• Registration outreach · 2003

  Voter registration mailings

  Targeted postal communications containing voter-registration applications or instructions. VPC uses demographic and electoral data to identify audiences it believes are underregistered, especially young people, people of color, and unmarried women.

• Voting-access communications

  Vote-by-mail and absentee-ballot outreach

  Programs designed to explain or encourage absentee and mail voting. Materials have included ballot-request forms and reminders, with some campaigns tested against control groups before wider distribution.

• Civic research · 2003

  New American Majority research

  Reports and polling analyses examining registration, turnout, demographic change, marital status, voting behavior, and issues affecting young people, people of color, and unmarried women.

• Public policy research · 2010

  Voting-access reports

  Research and explanatory materials addressing barriers such as registration deadlines, restrictions on early and absentee voting, voter-identification rules, and inconsistent state election procedures.

• 2024

  Voting Report Card mailers

  Mailers showing voter-history information and referring to review of recipients' participation were criticized as invasive and intimidating. Maryland's attorney general issued a cease-and-desist letter alleging violations of state law and the Voting Rights Act.

  Source

• 2020

  North Carolina absentee-ballot forms

  The affiliated Center for Voter Information sent some North Carolina absentee-ballot request materials with pre-filled sections, prompting criticism because state law prohibited the practice.

  Source

• 2008

  North Carolina robocall controversy

  Automated calls during the North Carolina Democratic primary were criticized for confusing African American voters about registration status and for failing to identify VPC clearly as the caller. Authorities ordered the calls stopped, and the organization was reported to have paid a $100,000 fine.

  Source

• 2008

  Vendor-contract scrutiny

  Reports questioned VPC payments to Integral Resources, a company run by the spouse of Page Gardner, as well as other contracts involving companies connected to board members.

  Source

Read more

• 2020One Million Voters campaign

  United States

  VPC announced a goal of registering one million voters and planned a nationwide mailing of 5.4 million registration forms.

  Outcome. The initiative became the organization's largest stated registration campaign, while also generating disputes over targeting accuracy and ballot-request materials.

  Source
• 2014Women voter-registration video

  United States

  Felicity Huffman and Rosario Dawson appeared in a video encouraging women to register and vote.

  Outcome. The video continued VPC's use of public figures to support voter-participation messaging.

  Source
• 2007Julia Louis-Dreyfus voter-registration campaign

  United States

  In preparation for the 2008 presidential election, Julia Louis-Dreyfus appeared in a public service campaign filmed in a replica Oval Office.

  Outcome. The campaign supported a broader registration and direct-mail effort aimed at unregistered single women voters.

  Source
• 2007Our First Time

  United States

  Public advertisements featured recognizable women discussing their first voting experiences and encouraged participation in the 2008 election.

  Outcome. The campaign complemented registration mailings and automated notifications.

  Source
• 2004Unmarried Women Voter Registration PSA

  United States

  A televised public service announcement featuring Jennifer Aniston urged unmarried, separated, divorced, and widowed women to register and vote.

  Outcome. The campaign extended the organization's early focus on closing the participation gap between married and unmarried women.

  Source

• 2020

  Scale the voter-registration operationStrategy

  Background

  The 2020 election created heightened demand for registration and mail-voting information.

  Action taken

  VPC announced a one-million-voter registration objective and a planned mailing of 5.4 million forms.

  Aftermath

  The scale of the effort drew both recognition and criticism concerning inaccurate targeting and absentee-ballot communications.

  Source

• 2011

  Adopt the Voter Participation Center nameStrategy

  Background

  Women's Voices Women Vote had expanded its mission beyond its original unmarried-women focus.

  Action taken

  The organization formally changed its name to The Voter Participation Center.

  Aftermath

  The affiliated 501(c)(4) entity retained a separate identity as the Center for Voter Information.

  Source

• 2008

  Broaden target demographicsStrategy

  Background

  The organization concluded that its participation mission should extend beyond unmarried women to other underrepresented or underregistered groups.

  Action taken

  It added young people and people of color to its principal target groups and developed the New American Majority framework.

  Aftermath

  The broader focus became the basis for the organization's later name change and nationwide registration programs.

  Source

1. 1Voter Participation Centeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Voter Participation Center official websitevoterparticipation.org
3. 3Voter Participation Center nonprofit filingsprojects.propublica.org