The Voter Education Project (VEP) began in 1962 as part of the Southern Regional Council. Initially VEP granted funds to civil rights organizations to support voter education, voter registration drives, and voting-related research. In 1964, Vernon Jordan, the second executive director of the VEP, expanded the programs goals to include citizenship training, voter education, and leadership training in the southern United States, while continuing to provide funds to independent voter and civil rights groups, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the League of Women Voters. The VEP’s work with the League of Women Voters is highlighted in the materials below. In 1971, VEP under the leadership of John Lewis, became an independent organization and functioned as a research center and became known as an authoritative source for statistics on southern elections and voter registration in general. Lewis also forged the VEP into an activist organization, launching Voter Mobilization Tours with Georgia state legislator and civil rights advocate Julian Bond. At the AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library we are always striving to improve our digital collections. We welcome additional information about people, places, or events depicted in any of the works in this collection. To submit information, please contact us at DSD@auctr.edu.
Sep 4, 2020

Voter Education Project Organizational Records

The Voter Education Project (VEP) began in 1962 as part of the Southern Regional Council. Initially VEP granted funds to civil rights organizations to support voter education, voter registration drives, and voting-related research. In 1964, Vernon Jordan, the second executive director of the VEP, expanded the programs goals to include citizenship training, voter education, and leadership training in the southern United States, while continuing to provide funds to independent voter and civil rights groups, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the League of Women Voters. The VEP’s work with the League of Women Voters is highlighted in the materials below. In 1971, VEP under the leadership of John Lewis, became an independent organization and functioned as a research center and became known as an authoritative source for statistics on southern elections and voter registration in general. Lewis also forged the VEP into an activist organization, launching Voter Mobilization Tours with Georgia state legislator and civil rights advocate Julian Bond.

At the AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library we are always striving to improve our digital collections. We welcome additional information about people, places, or events depicted in any of the works in this collection. To submit information, please contact us at DSD@auctr.edu.
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  • Geographic Location = Georgia--Atlanta
  • Subjects = Political participation
Statistical analysis of the Fulton County Black vote for President, conducted by Clarence A. Bacote, including information regarding total registered voters, total votes for Carter, and total votes for Ford in the 1976 Presidential Election. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Statistical Analysis of Black Vote for President in Fulton County, November 2, 1976
Date Created
1976-11-02
Description
Statistical analysis of the Fulton County Black vote for President, conducted by Clarence A. Bacote, including information regarding total registered voters, total votes for Carter, and total votes for Ford in the 1976 Presidential Election. 1 page.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, Presidents, African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
This manual, compiled under a grant from the Voter Education Project (VEP), provides a list of significant election law changes in Georgia cities and counties since the effective date of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, with information on the status of legislation under Section 5 and limitations of the study, serving as a guide for notable changes in city and county election systems in Georgia, while recommending further consultation with the Federal Review of Voting Changes for questions about the mechanics of Section 5. 12 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Election Law Changes in Cities and Counties in Georgia", May 1976
Date Created
1976-05
Description
This manual, compiled under a grant from the Voter Education Project (VEP), provides a list of significant election law changes in Georgia cities and counties since the effective date of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, with information on the status of legislation under Section 5 and limitations of the study, serving as a guide for notable changes in city and county election systems in Georgia, while recommending further consultation with the Federal Review of Voting Changes for questions about the mechanics of Section 5. 12 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Civil rights, Race discrimination, Voting, Political participation
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
List of Georgia's Black elected officials in 1976, along with their mailing addresses, which was included in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
List of Georgia Black Elected Officials, 1976
Date Created
1976
Description
List of Georgia's Black elected officials in 1976, along with their mailing addresses, which was included in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 1 page.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, African Americans--Politics and government, African American leadership
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Blank form recording the total turnout of the 1976 Presidential Election and breakdown of majority Black county voting results, which was included in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Total Turnout for the 1976 Presidential Election Form, 1976
Date Created
1976
Description
Blank form recording the total turnout of the 1976 Presidential Election and breakdown of majority Black county voting results, which was included in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 1 page.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Table of Black female elected officials in the South during the summer of 1976, organized by state and municipal office type, which was included in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Table of Black Female Elected Officials in the South, Summer 1976
Date Created
1976
Description
Table of Black female elected officials in the South during the summer of 1976, organized by state and municipal office type, which was included in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 1 page.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, African Americans--Politics and government, African American leadership
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Handbook compiled by the Joint Center for Political Studies, Voter Education Project, and Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law providing guidance on how to use Section 5 of the Act to further Black political participation. Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark piece of legislation that has helped to increase Black political participation in the United States. The Act was successful in registering and electing more Black officials, but there were still political and economic obstacles that remained. 111 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Federal Review of Voting Changes: How to Use Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act", April 1974
Date Created
1974-04
Description
Handbook compiled by the Joint Center for Political Studies, Voter Education Project, and Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law providing guidance on how to use Section 5 of the Act to further Black political participation. Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark piece of legislation that has helped to increase Black political participation in the United States. The Act was successful in registering and electing more Black officials, but there were still political and economic obstacles that remained. 111 pages.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Booklet describing the VEP Information Service and how it collects, stores, and disseminates data and statistics to electorate and news organizations. Includes evaluation and reporting forms. 35 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
VEP Information Service Handbook, 1974
Date Created
1974
Description
Booklet describing the VEP Information Service and how it collects, stores, and disseminates data and statistics to electorate and news organizations. Includes evaluation and reporting forms. 35 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta, African American civil rights workers, Voter registration, Voting, African Americans--Civil rights, Political participation
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
General summary of registration procedures in the Southern states in 1973, including information regarding registration location and registration period, created an effort to make election and voting procedures more transparent to the public, which was included in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
General Summary of Registration Procedures in the Southern States for 1973
Date Created
1973
Description
General summary of registration procedures in the Southern states in 1973, including information regarding registration location and registration period, created an effort to make election and voting procedures more transparent to the public, which was included in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 1 page.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Filmstrip transcript encouraging Black people to participate in their local municipal governments. The document describes the role of municipal governments in daily life and emphasizes the need for Black people to establish leadership within their communities. 5 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Build Our Own Power" Filmstrip, circa 1975
Date Created
1972/1978
Description
Filmstrip transcript encouraging Black people to participate in their local municipal governments. The document describes the role of municipal governments in daily life and emphasizes the need for Black people to establish leadership within their communities. 5 pages.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, African Americans--Politics and government, African American leadership
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Empty questionnaire with annotations regarding problems, results, and recommendations relating to total participation in electoral politics, published in 1976, which was included in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 4 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Participation In Electoral Politics, Problems, Results, and Recommendations Questionnaire, circa 1975
Date Created
1972/1978
Description
Empty questionnaire with annotations regarding problems, results, and recommendations relating to total participation in electoral politics, published in 1976, which was included in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 4 pages.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
VEP booklet outlining the barriers to voting at the local and state levels, and the efforts at the courts and polls to remove those barriers. 68 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Barriers to the Black Political Participation in North Carolina" by William H. Towe, March 1972
Date Created
1972-03
Description
VEP booklet outlining the barriers to voting at the local and state levels, and the efforts at the courts and polls to remove those barriers. 68 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, Voting, Political participation
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Four women fill out voting ballots at a Fulton County voting center.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Women Vote at a Fulton County Polling Station, circa 1973
Date Created
1970/1976
Description
Four women fill out voting ballots at a Fulton County voting center.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African American civil rights workers
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Newspaper article describing the ways in which the Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped to register millions of Black voters in the Deep South. However, even after this voter registration surge, millions of Black voters remained unregistered. The Justice Department released figures showing that since the law went into effect, an additional 900,852 Blacks registered to vote in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. However, the department also said that more than one million Black voters in those states still would not be franchised on the fifth anniversary of the law. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Surge Is Cited in Black Vote Registration", July 28, 1970
Date Created
1970-07-28
Description
Newspaper article describing the ways in which the Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped to register millions of Black voters in the Deep South. However, even after this voter registration surge, millions of Black voters remained unregistered. The Justice Department released figures showing that since the law went into effect, an additional 900,852 Blacks registered to vote in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. However, the department also said that more than one million Black voters in those states still would not be franchised on the fifth anniversary of the law. 1 page.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
A newspaper clipping describing the candidates for Governor of Georgia and the increase in Black political power in the state. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Negro Voters A stir in the Peach State", June 6, 1970
Date Created
1970--06-06
Description
A newspaper clipping describing the candidates for Governor of Georgia and the increase in Black political power in the state. 1 page.
Subject
Voting, Voter registration, Political participation, African Americans--Politics and government, African American civic leaders
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
A newspaper clipping referencing Vernon Jordan and Ben Brown's possible run for Congress. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"2 Negroes Sticking to Congress Plans", December 12, 1969
Date Created
1969-12-12
Description
A newspaper clipping referencing Vernon Jordan and Ben Brown's possible run for Congress. 1 page.
Subject
Voting, Voter registration, Political participation, African Americans--Politics and government, African American civic leaders
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
A newspaper clipping discussing potential candidates for the Fifth District congressional seat. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Race for Congress", November 18, 1969
Date Created
1969-11-18
Description
A newspaper clipping discussing potential candidates for the Fifth District congressional seat. 1 page.
Subject
Voting, Voter registration, Political participation, African Americans--Politics and government, African American civic leaders
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
A newspaper clipping regarding candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"'Some Black Man Should Oppose Thompson,' Say Rep. Ben Brown", November 1, 1969
Date Created
1969-11-01
Description
A newspaper clipping regarding candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives. 2 pages.
Subject
Voting, Voter registration, Political participation, African Americans--Politics and government, African American civic leaders
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
A newspaper article describing a possible congressional run of Vernon Jordan. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"SRC's Jordan Considers Bid for Congress", October 1969
Date Created
1969-10
Description
A newspaper article describing a possible congressional run of Vernon Jordan. 1 page.
Subject
Voting, Voter registration, Political participation, African Americans--Politics and government, African American civic leaders
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
A newspaper clipping describing Georgia State Representative Ben Brown's possible campaign for the 5th District congressional seat in the 1970 election. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Rep. Ben Brown Ponders Race Against Thompson", September 14, 1969
Date Created
1969-09-14
Description
A newspaper clipping describing Georgia State Representative Ben Brown's possible campaign for the 5th District congressional seat in the 1970 election. 1 page.
Subject
Voting, Voter registration, Political participation, African Americans--Politics and government, African American civic leaders
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
A short history and activities conducted by the VEP. 9 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"A Statement on the Voter Education Project of the Southern Regional Council, Inc.", June 14, 1969
Date Created
1969-06-14
Description
A short history and activities conducted by the VEP. 9 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta, African American civil rights workers, Voter registration, Voting, African Americans--Civil rights, Political participation
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records