The Landscape
From the Poor People’s Campaign of the 1960s where organizers demanded improved material conditions for poor people, to the Section 504 protests of the 1970s where Disabled people protested inaccessibility and discrimination, there’s a long legacy of community members in the U.S. coming together to fight for a society where everyone can survive and thrive, not just the wealthy few. That legacy has continued into 2025, from neighbors protecting each other from ICE raids in Los Angeles, CA and Chicago, IL, to community members organizing against National Guard occupations in Washington, DC and Memphis, TN.
During a turbulent year, we can look to these demonstrations to ground us in the legacy and potential of our struggle. With an authoritarian regime running our federal government, this year has brought an increase in scapegoating of immigrants, trans people, Black people, Disabled people, and others. We see police disappearing our neighbors and loved ones. We see attacks on elected officials who dare to dissent. We see surveillance, targeting, and divestment from nonprofit organizations who won’t capitulate.
The authoritarian regime wants the movement for a multiracial democracy divided, underfunded, silenced, and disappeared. But instead, State Voices has spent 2025 fighting. We’ve united state coalitions across the country, invested in their advocacy and organizing for material change, amplified their perspectives, and supported the safety and protection of our people. And despite the landscape’s rough terrain, we will sustain this work until we have the society that so many organizers have dreamt of before us: one where every vote is counted, every voice is heard, and every need is met.
State Voices Drove Resources, Strategy, and People Power Nationwide and Cross-State to Our Affiliates
State Voices accelerates state progress in order to achieve a multiracial democracy. We provide training, campaign support, leadership development, and data and technology to our 24 state affiliates, or “State Tables,” 7 Emerging States, and additional partners across 50 states. Our nonpartisan network delivers state results affecting millions and creates models of success for other states to adopt.
In 2025, State Voices:
Trained over 1,100 people to sharpen their organizing, advocacy, and technology skills.
Some of our most significant trainings of the year included the New Deal for Organizing, a program with Midwest Academy, Alliance for Youth Organizing, and State Voices, where we trained and coached organizers in Columbus, OH and Atlanta, GA; the Data Certification Program, a State Voices virtual program for data practitioners; and Changemaker Skills Camp, a training intensive with The Movement Cooperative and State Voices where we trained over 200 organizers, advocates, and data practitioners in Milwaukee, WI.
Saved our network $40 million on data, technology, and tools that keep their people-powered campaigns running.
State Voices manages a tools suite of 14 tools that we provide to our affiliates and other partners at low to no cost, supporting them in their outreach and mobilization efforts. You can learn about these tools, and others, in our 2025-2026 Tools and Tech Guide.
Convened hundreds of people across our network to build a 2026 – 2032 strategy that builds our movement and helps reverse the authoritarian direction of the country.
Through our 2026 – 2032 strategic direction process, we’re creating a collective vision to combat authoritarianism, bolster the movement for a multiracial democracy, and clarify where State Voices and our affiliated network are best suited to make the biggest difference. This process included a convening of our state affiliates in the summer of 2026 in Philadelphia, PA to strengthen relationships and collaboratively workshop our strategy.
Regranted $3 million to state and local organizing.
Effective organizing depends on whether State Tables and partners have the resources they need to lead bold and sustained work. In 2025, we moved more than $3 million to support our states, prioritizing flexible support that strengthened general operations alongside voter registration, ballot measure advocacy, data capacity, and voter protection efforts. This investment reflects our commitment to ensuring local leaders have what they need to show up for their people.
Called out the oligarchy and demanded real changes in material conditions for working people.
State Voices partnered on the nationwide mobilizations Hands Off!, No Kings, and We Ain’t Buying It. We also launched a new campaign, Real Change, Not Pocket Change, working deeply with organizers in Tennessee, Florida, and Michigan to amplify the need for economic justice. Through this campaign, we also reached out to over 19,000 people across Michigan and Alabama for a survey to co-create new messaging that challenges and replaces the myth of the American dream.
Challenged oppressive laws that aim to silence voters.
Over 20 states have introduced Documentary Proof of Citizenship (DPOC) laws in 2025, which would require all voters to present proof of citizenship whenever you register or re-register to vote — and can require in-person voting and strict limitations on what counts as proof of citizenship. After months of research, Dēmos, Campaign Legal Center, and State Voices released The Costs of Implementing Documentary Proof of Citizenship Bills, exploring the financial, administrative, and bureaucratic burdens of DPOC laws. Our research shows that a DPOC system can cost a state millions in public dollars to implement, maintain, and defend; and that it significantly slows down and complicates the voter registration process.
Our Affiliates Drove Resources, Strategy, and People Power Statewide to Their Partners
Our State Tables are the main platform for grassroots organizations to win material change across the state. State Table partners or members are in-state organizations who organize community members and make winning possible by driving people to action.
Across all of our State Tables, Emerging States, and partners, we contacted over 13 million people across the country in 2025 with information like nonpartisan voter education and resources to get plugged into advocacy work. Our network also signed up over 33,000 people on Mobilize, one of the tools we provide access to through our tools suite, for in-person events, virtual info sessions, volunteering, and more.
State Tables and Emerging States coordinated and supported their partner organizations around many programs in 2025, including:
Maine: Maine Voices Network
Maine Voices Network advocated for fair, open, and accessible elections through nonpartisan voter outreach and education, despite the rampant voter suppression efforts the state faced.
“Being in the State Voices Affiliated Network enabled us to talk with colleagues in other states that had faced similar fights, which helped us chart a path forward. State Voices gave us access to policy and communications experts when we were preparing polling. That early polling was critical. The state capacity team was helpful as we formed and grew our coalition. We were able to make a successful fundraising pitch in 2025 with State Voices’ help!”
— Lisa Haberzettl, Maine Voices Network
Nevada: Silver State Voices
Ahead of the Nevada Legislature’s special session in November 2025, Silver State Voices worked with coalition partners to advocate for bills to keep Nevadans safe, uphold due process, and promote access to healthcare and food assistance programs.
Tennessee: Civic TN
Civic TN coordinated their partners around nonpartisan voter registration, education, and GOTV efforts for the special election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District in early December 2025, helping to generate voter turnout roughly on par with the 2022 midterms.
“With State Voices’ help, we strengthened the core of our statewide Table this year, especially in our data, digital tools, and rapid-response coordination. From State Voices strategy sessions and pipeline training support to hands-on help as we transitioned to new texting systems and improved VAN familiarity, the network made our work this year much more efficient and collaborative. Just as importantly, shared resources like communications rapid response support, security, and disinformation trainings helped our coalition show up with clarity and consistency during key election moments across Tennessee.”
— Matia Powell, Civic TN
Louisiana: Power Coalition for Equity and Justice
Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) fought for fair representation by pushing back against efforts to dilute the power of Black voters through racially gerrymandered political maps. PCEJ staff traveled to Washington, D.C. for oral arguments in the Supreme Court case Louisiana v Callais. A ruling in the case, expected next year, will go a long way in determining the future of the Voting Rights Act and the ability of Black voters to elect candidates of their choice. By educating and mobilizing Louisianans throughout the year about the stakes of the fight, PCEJ is making it clear to the Supreme Court that Louisianans won’t stand by as their voting rights are threatened.
Michigan: Michigan Voices
In 2025, Michigan Voices launched a nonpartisan deep canvassing program, working with Detroit Action, Michigan United, Oakland Forward, and North Flint Neighborhood Action Council to have deep conversations with tens of thousands of people who did not vote in 2024. Voters were asked to rank on a 1 – 10 scale how important they thought voting was in impacting the policies and resources in their local community. From these deep canvassing conversations, 65% of people ranked the importance of voting higher at the end of the program compared to the beginning.
“State Voices was very supportive of our work at Michigan Voices this year. We were especially grateful for the data and communications support. State Voices created wonderful toolkits, messaging support, and helped uplift our work to the media on multiple occasions, and provided so many wonderful trainings for our staff and partners.”
— Sommer Foster, Michigan Voices
New Mexico: New Mexico Civic Engagement Table, a project of Center for Civic Policy
New Mexico Civic Engagement Table held their first multiday, in-person convening as a table to build a North Star Agenda, which will become a campaign next year and is a roadmap for progressive policies in the state. The convening in July brought together a diverse set of partners from across the state to create proactive strategies to build independent power in New Mexico.
Alabama: Alabama Forward
After years of advocacy from Alabama Forward and their partners, the Alabama federal court officially ruled in May 2025 that Alabama’s 2023 congressional map violated the Voting Rights Act, and Black Alabama voters have won the fight for fair representation through the rest of the decade. This ruling locked in two districts where Black voters have a fair opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. This win is the result of years of legal battles, organizing, and the Supreme Court’s landmark 2023 decision in Allen v. Milligan, which demanded a second Black opportunity district. Alabama Forward members were plaintiffs in the case.
“From offering consulting and providing support to making critical and meaningful connections across the network, being a part of the State Voices Affiliated Network has enabled us to strengthen our work across the state. In particular, Changemakers Skills Camp gave our staff the space, skills and confidence to strengthen our team and build capacity so we can better support our members and partners. The investment the State Voices Affiliated Network has made in Alabama Forward will have a positive and long-lasting impact on how we’re able to show up for our people, our members and our communities.”
— Deanna Fowler, Alabama Forward
Wisconsin: Wisconsin Civic Power Table
With the coordination of the Wisconsin Civic Power Table and the nonpartisan outreach of their partners, Wisconsin voters turned out in huge numbers for the Supreme Court judicial elections in April 2025. Turnout numbers were at historic levels.
New York: New York Civic Engagement Table
New York Civic Engagement Table worked closely with Caribbean Equality Project (CEP), a community based organization located in Queens, on nonpartisan canvassing and voter education. CEP empowers, advocates for, and represents Afro and Indo-Caribbean, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming, and queer Caribbean immigrants. Through the use of culturally relevant voter resources, 10% of people who CEP reached out to became first-time voters in the June 2025 mayoral primary.
“Being part of the State Voices network strengthens our organization by connecting us to resources, training, and data we could not access otherwise. It also allows us to learn from state tables and other partners across the country, improving how we support our partners’ organizing efforts. Without State Voices, we could not provide the same level of support for partners as we do now, which would limit our efforts as we work to bring our state closer to realizing a vibrant, multiracial democracy.”
— Karla Bradley, New York Civic Engagement Table
Florida: State Voices Florida
Amidst a high-stakes, bad faith push for mid-cycle redistricting that would include redrawing Florida’s congressional maps in a way that would constitute gerrymandering, State Voices Florida and coalition partners have fought for fair representation and maps that allow voters to choose their representatives, rather than the other way around. The coalition issued a public letter to Gov. Ron Desantis in September 2025 and continues to advocate for an end to political gerrymandering and fair representation by talking with supporters, the media, and politicians.
Kansas: The Voter Network (an Emerging State in the State Voices Affiliated Network)
The Voter Network, in collaboration with seven Table partners, hired 155 election mobilizers, managed by 13 team captains, who connected one-on-one with 7.7 thousand people in Kansas through their nonpartisan relational organizing program called Voter to Voter. An additional 17 Table partners participated in The Voter Network’s nonpartisan phone bank program to make vote plans with over 4,00 low propensity voters in the rising Kansas electorate. The Voter Network made over 106,230 calls, had 311 completed shifts, and partner staff worked together to lead 18 phone banks in 2025. They made 15,000 more dials on our coordinated phone banks than in 2024.
“Just last year The Voter Network successfully launched a C3 state table with 25+ organizational partners in Kansas. The State Voices’ strategic partnerships team has been a lifeline through this early development, providing sample startup documents, a roadmap for voter registration, discounted tech tools, and more than a little hand holding and encouragement. With this support, Kansas’ civic engagement ecosystem has never been stronger, and for that, we are profoundly grateful.”
— Lindsay Ford, Executive Director, The Voter Network
People Across Our Network Raised Their Voices for Real Change
Hear directly from advocates across the State Voices Affiliated Network about how our communities are fighting against authoritarianism and for a multiracial democracy. A democracy where we can all thrive and live in our full dignity.
🎧 A Seat at the Nebraska Table, a podcast from the Nebraska Civic Engagement Table
📖 Salewa Ogunmefun (Pennsylvania Voice) in TRIBLive, “Pa. residents want true early voting option” (January 2025)
📖 Tamieka Atkins (ProGeorgia) in The Center for Effective Philanthropy, “The Imperative of Investing in Black Women’s Leadership” (March 2025)
📖 Alexis Anderson-Reed (State Voices) in The Guardian, “Republicans are quietly trying to disenfranchise millions of voters” (March 2025)
🎧📖 Michigan Voices (Literally), a Substack from Michigan Voices
📖 Angela Lin (Ohio Voices) in Dayton Daily News, “Immigrants are the heart of it all” (May 2025)
🎧👀 Alexis Anderson-Reed (State Voices) with The Color Between the Lines with Esther Dillard, “Why Memphis Matters: The Fight Against Authoritarianism” (September 2025)
👀 Got 5 On It, a film from Shake the Field AL (a project of Alabama Forward) (October 2025)
🎧 Original music by the Shake the Field with Felt Five Thompson, a project of Alabama Forward
📖 Larry Hannan (State Voices Florida) and Mishara Davis (State Voices) in Ms Magazine, “Ahead of the Country: How Florida’s Progressive Fight Against Authoritarianism Is Setting the Tone” (October 2025)
📖 Sommer Foster (Michigan Voices) in The Flint Courier, “Local families urged to prepare for potentially ‘detrimental effect’ of SNAP monthly payment food benefits ending Nov. 1” (October 2025)
📖 Alexis Anderson-Reed (State Voices) in Inside Philanthropy, “It’s Still the Economy for Voters. Here’s What That Means for Funders” (November 2025)
What About The Fight Against Authoritarianism in 2026?
Legislative sessions and economic pressure in 2026 will bring chances to halt the country’s nosedive into increasingly authoritarian waters. We can halt the nosedive through mass disobedience like strikes, organizing people around a collective vision for a liberated society, and ensuring people who are marginalized from voting have access to the ballot.
In 2026, State Voices will enhance the way we drive resources, strategy, and people power to our State Tables, Emerging States, and partners in pursuit of this goal. The launch of our 2026-2032 strategic direction will chart a clear path forward for our network. We will host a training program with our network on challenging the authoritarian regime. To ensure access to the ballot while building momentum for more substantial forms of collective action, we will continue to support nonpartisan voter registration, GOTV, and voter protection efforts while also providing resources on engaging a community beyond elections. And of course, we’ll keep providing data, technology, and tools access, support, and training at low cost to no cost for movement practitioners.
To realize our vision of a liberated future, we’ll work with and for the working class communities and families who have been left behind by our political system and are struggling to make ends meet. The working people who keep our country running — people with resilience in their DNA, people who kept the language of their grandparents, people who are the firsts in their family, people who love courageously and with pride — deserve real change that can make a material difference in their lives. We know that 2026 will bring significant challenges, but we are ready to meet the moment and build with pride on the legacy of the movement-builders and organizers before us.
Thank you for reading State Voices’ 2025 Post-Election/End of Year Overview! You can read overviews and full reports from past years below.
Read our 2024 Post-Election/End of Year Report
Read our 2023 Post-Election/End of Year Overview
Read our 2022 Post-Election/End of Year Report
Read our 2020 Post-Election/End of Year Report