A $100,000 grant from BridgeTogether will help VoteRiders provide targeted, nonpartisan voter ID education and assistance to Arizona voters in 2022.

The grant will enable VoteRiders to expand its partnerships with organizations across the state and establish its signature Voter ID Clinics program in key communities. Arizona voters, particularly those disproportionately impacted by voter ID laws, will gain the ID information and assistance they need to cast a ballot with confidence, knowing they will not be turned away.

With support from BridgeTogether, VoteRiders will hire an on-the-ground organizer to work with existing groups in Arizona, using a tried-and-tested voter ID education and assistance model currently in place in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin.

“For almost a decade, VoteRiders has been providing effective education and assistance to many of the millions of citizens who do not have a government-issued photo ID,” said VoteRiders Founder Kathleen Unger, an expert on voter ID laws. “We help to overcome confusion among citizens in every state, given that voter ID is in addition to and different from voter registration. Uniquely, Arizona also requires proof of citizenship for a ballot to count in state and local elections.”

“This grant will ensure VoteRiders is ready to help citizens in Arizona who are most impacted by voter ID laws, including women, communities of color, and youth. Alongside a growing number of state-based partners, we’ll be working every day between now and Election Day to equip Arizona voters with the information, resources, and assistance needed to ensure they can have a voice in our democracy,” said VoteRiders Executive Director Lauren Kunis.

VoteRiders will work closely with a wide array of partners across the public, nonprofit, and private sectors to seek out and educate voters, however and wherever they access information. Across the state, this work will ensure that voters know they either have the ID they need or that VoteRiders will help them every step of the way until they do.

About VoteRiders

Founded in 2012, VoteRiders is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure that all citizens are able to exercise their freedom to vote. VoteRiders informs and helps citizens to secure their voter ID as well as inspires and supports organizations, local volunteers, and communities to sustain voter ID education and assistance efforts.

VoteRiders is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and adheres to the highest standards of nonprofit accountability, which has earned it a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Guidestar.

For more information about VoteRiders, visit their website: www.voteriders.org.

About BridgeTogether

BridgeTogether is a new 501(c)(3) organization, founded by former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, that invests in existing, local, on-the-ground partners to ensure off-year investments in civic engagement and voter education that allow organizations to build and maintain their staff.

For more information about BridgeTogether, visit their website: https://bridgetogether.org.