Spread the Vote
Spread the Vote (STV) is a national organization that was founded in 2017 with a mission to help eligible adults obtain government-issued voter IDs and support with the voting process. The organization operates through chapters and volunteers, and it has had a significant impact in 12 states including Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
It's estimated that 11% of the population (21 million Americans) lack a driver's license or state identification card and therefore are unable to vote and obtain certain jobs, housing, or medical aid. 77% of STVs clients have never voted before because of complicated voting laws or because they simply did not know where to start. In their focus states, STV works to obtain IDs for students (especially in the states where student IDs are not eligible for the polls), seniors, low-income adults, and returning citizens.
STV works closely with state and local organizations to reach as many citizens as possible. In 2018, STV launched several campus chapters with a focus on registering and obtaining IDs for college students. Over the past four years, STV has obtained and issued over 7,000 IDs to their clients.
With the outbreak of COVID-19, the need for IDs became even more critical throughout the country. STV implemented a program to help clients obtain IDs virtually through the provision of educational video courses and resources as a joint effort from STV and many national organizations including Ballot Ready and the Center for American Progress. STV also worked with vote.org to help incarcerated citizens register for and cast absentee ballots. STV also spent this last year working on the ground to help recruit poll workers and rapid response advocacy and messaging.
Five Together has supported STV since its inception, helping the organization to grow its operational and programming capacities. Kat Calvin, the organization's founder and current executive director, has built STV from its one-state model to its current 12-state-and-growing model, now one of the most important national organizations for voter ID procurement, education, and resources.