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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Press release from the Voter Education Project regarding a study conducted by the VEP Research Department, which found that almost half of registered Atlantans went to the polls in the general election. The Democratic Governor-Elect received two thirds of the votes in the City of Atlanta, a higher percentage than he received statewide. White Atlantans voted two to one for the Republican nominee, Bob Bell, while Black voters put Atlanta in Harris' column by voting 95% for the Democratic nominee. The 48% turnout was about 12% higher than for the primary elections, but VEP wanted to see a higher turnout. There remained still a 20% gap between the Black voting age population who registered and the white voting age population who registered to vote. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
VEP Press Release, November 4, 1982
Date Created
1982-11-04
Description
Press release from the Voter Education Project regarding a study conducted by the VEP Research Department, which found that almost half of registered Atlantans went to the polls in the general election. The Democratic Governor-Elect received two thirds of the votes in the City of Atlanta, a higher percentage than he received statewide. White Atlantans voted two to one for the Republican nominee, Bob Bell, while Black voters put Atlanta in Harris' column by voting 95% for the Democratic nominee. The 48% turnout was about 12% higher than for the primary elections, but VEP wanted to see a higher turnout. There remained still a 20% gap between the Black voting age population who registered and the white voting age population who registered to vote. 2 pages.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, Demographic surveys
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Article on the VEP celebrating their 20th anniversary. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"VEP celebrates 20th Year Here October 21", October 19, 1982
Date Created
1982-10-19
Description
Article on the VEP celebrating their 20th anniversary. 1 page.
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
Article on the VEP taking a break to celebrate the voting rights act and their successes in increasing the Black vote in the South. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Voter Drive Changes the South", October 17, 1982
Date Created
1982-10-17
Description
Article on the VEP taking a break to celebrate the voting rights act and their successes in increasing the Black vote in the South. 1 page.
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
Article on how Bibb County Black voters outnumbered White voters for the fist time in two elections. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Bibb Voter Patterns Revealed in Two Prior Elections", September 19, 1982
Date Created
1982-09-19
Description
Article on how Bibb County Black voters outnumbered White voters for the fist time in two elections. 1 page.
Subject
Political participation, Voting, African Americans--Civil rights
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release from the Voter Education Project a study conducted by Richard A. Hudlin and K. Farouk Brimah, which found that had voter turnout been higher in the runoff election for Governor in the City of Atlanta, the outcome of the election would have been changed by Atlanta voters alone. White Atlantans provided Ginn with a small edge, but Blacks voted two to one for Ginn. The study also found that a 20% gap existed between the voting age Black population and the white voting age population in Atlanta, and that a 20% difference also existed between Black citizens who registered and white citizens who registered. According to VEP, a population figure of two whites resulted in as many votes as three Blacks. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
VEP Press Release, September 14, 1982
Date Created
1982-09-14
Description
Press release from the Voter Education Project a study conducted by Richard A. Hudlin and K. Farouk Brimah, which found that had voter turnout been higher in the runoff election for Governor in the City of Atlanta, the outcome of the election would have been changed by Atlanta voters alone. White Atlantans provided Ginn with a small edge, but Blacks voted two to one for Ginn. The study also found that a 20% gap existed between the voting age Black population and the white voting age population in Atlanta, and that a 20% difference also existed between Black citizens who registered and white citizens who registered. According to VEP, a population figure of two whites resulted in as many votes as three Blacks. 2 pages.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, Demographic surveys
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Article on Bond's decision not to run for Congress due to possible funding issues, opting for the more reliable outcome of his Senate seat. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Bond's Choice Hides Seed of Hope", September 9, 1982
Date Created
1982-09-09
Description
Article on Bond's decision not to run for Congress due to possible funding issues, opting for the more reliable outcome of his Senate seat. 1 page.
Subject
African Americans--Politics and government, Political participation, African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
An analysis showed that there was little difference between the way Black and White Atlantans voted for the candidates with the highest percentages of votes in the city, and despite a 20% gap between the Black and White voting age population, one third of those registered to vote actually went to the polls, with Norman Underwood and Jack Watson receiving the highest percentages of votes. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
VEP Press Release, August 20, 1982
Date Created
1982--08-20
Description
An analysis showed that there was little difference between the way Black and White Atlantans voted for the candidates with the highest percentages of votes in the city, and despite a 20% gap between the Black and White voting age population, one third of those registered to vote actually went to the polls, with Norman Underwood and Jack Watson receiving the highest percentages of votes. 1 page.
Subject
African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta, Political participation, Voting, African Americans--Politics and government
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing statistical analysis of the Democratic Primary election for the office of Governor in Atlanta by VEP researchers, which found that there was a negligible difference between the way Black and white Atlantans voted for the candidates which received the highest percentages of votes in the city. The only Black candidate, Mildred Glover, had 3% of the Black votes and less than 1% of the white votes. The analysis also found that there was a 20% gap between the Black and white voting age population in Atlanta, and that Black voter turnout was lower than white voter turnout. From the results of the study, VEP urged citizens to carefully study the candidates before going to the polls and carefully cast their votes. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
VEP Press Release, August 20, 1982
Date Created
1982-08-20
Description
Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing statistical analysis of the Democratic Primary election for the office of Governor in Atlanta by VEP researchers, which found that there was a negligible difference between the way Black and white Atlantans voted for the candidates which received the highest percentages of votes in the city. The only Black candidate, Mildred Glover, had 3% of the Black votes and less than 1% of the white votes. The analysis also found that there was a 20% gap between the Black and white voting age population in Atlanta, and that Black voter turnout was lower than white voter turnout. From the results of the study, VEP urged citizens to carefully study the candidates before going to the polls and carefully cast their votes. 2 pages.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, Demographic surveys
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
On June 18, the Senate passed the Voting Rights Extension Act by a vote of 85-to-8, culminating a year and a half struggle to continue the protections of the federal civil rights law despite initial opposition and attempts to weaken it, with bipartisan efforts leading to the passage of a strong and effective extension bill. 3 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Memo, Voting Right Extension Act, June 29, 1982
Date Created
1982-06-29
Description
On June 18, the Senate passed the Voting Rights Extension Act by a vote of 85-to-8, culminating a year and a half struggle to continue the protections of the federal civil rights law despite initial opposition and attempts to weaken it, with bipartisan efforts leading to the passage of a strong and effective extension bill. 3 pages.
Subject
Associations, institutions, etc., African Americans--Civil rights, Political participation
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing VEP Executive Director Geraldine G. Thompson's leadership in a Senate Judiciary Committee Vote, in which the Committee voted 17-1 to approve the Dole-DeConcini compromise of the Voting Rights Act. Geraldine G. Thompson, Executive Director of the Voter Education Project, Inc., hailed the vote as a "resounding victory" for the civil rights community. She urged the Full Senate to swiftly and unanimously pass the bill, calling it an "expression of support for constitutional rights" and a "giant step towards truly making this one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
VEP Press Release, May 4, 1982
Date Created
1982-05-04
Description
Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing VEP Executive Director Geraldine G. Thompson's leadership in a Senate Judiciary Committee Vote, in which the Committee voted 17-1 to approve the Dole-DeConcini compromise of the Voting Rights Act. Geraldine G. Thompson, Executive Director of the Voter Education Project, Inc., hailed the vote as a "resounding victory" for the civil rights community. She urged the Full Senate to swiftly and unanimously pass the bill, calling it an "expression of support for constitutional rights" and a "giant step towards truly making this one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." 1 page.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, African American leadership
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Robert Flanagan, a field service representative of the Voter Education Project, emphasizes the importance of one vote in historical events such as Adolph Hitler's rise to power and Thomas Jefferson's presidency, and urges for massive and organized voter registration efforts, especially among Black, White, and Hispanic communities, to prevent political demise and ensure the renewal of the Voting Rights Act, as discussed at the Southern Regional Voting Rights Conference sponsored by the U.S. Catholic Conference. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"One Vote Makes a Difference", April 22, 1982
Date Created
1982-04-22
Description
Robert Flanagan, a field service representative of the Voter Education Project, emphasizes the importance of one vote in historical events such as Adolph Hitler's rise to power and Thomas Jefferson's presidency, and urges for massive and organized voter registration efforts, especially among Black, White, and Hispanic communities, to prevent political demise and ensure the renewal of the Voting Rights Act, as discussed at the Southern Regional Voting Rights Conference sponsored by the U.S. Catholic Conference. 1 page.
Subject
African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta, African Americans--Civil rights, Political participation, Voter registration, Voting
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Article with list of participants and book review of "the Jews of Tin Pan Alley". 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Black, Jewish Leaders Create New Coalition", April 16, 1982
Date Created
1982-04-16
Description
Article with list of participants and book review of "the Jews of Tin Pan Alley". 2 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Civil rights, Political participation
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Articles from "The Po' Folks Reporter" paper in Tifton, Georgia, covering news on the VEP, voting rights, and civil rights in Georgia. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Voting Rights Conference Salted", March 1982
Date Created
1982-03
Description
Articles from "The Po' Folks Reporter" paper in Tifton, Georgia, covering news on the VEP, voting rights, and civil rights in Georgia. 1 page.
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
Articles and photos from "Speakin' Out News" on the Alabama Democratic Conference. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Alabama Democratic Conference Semi-Annual Convention Held in Tuscaloosa, Alabama" March 24-April 13, 1982
Date Created
1982-03
Description
Articles and photos from "Speakin' Out News" on the Alabama Democratic Conference. 2 pages.
Subject
Voter registration, Voting, African Americans--Civil rights, Political participation
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
The General Election of 1982, Fulton County, study examines the impact of racial and regional voting behaviors on the race for governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of state. 15 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
The General Election of Fulton County, 1982
Date Created
1982
Author
Brimah, K. Farouk
Description
The General Election of 1982, Fulton County, study examines the impact of racial and regional voting behaviors on the race for governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of state. 15 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta, African Americans--Politics and government, Voting, African Americans--Civil rights, Political participation
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Letter to the editor from Melinda D. Owens protesting the unfair treatment of workers by Pepsi Cola in middle Georgia. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Letter to the Editor from Melinda D. Owens, 1982
Date Created
1982
Description
Letter to the editor from Melinda D. Owens protesting the unfair treatment of workers by Pepsi Cola in middle Georgia. 1 page.
Subject
Labor, Political participation, Associations, institutions, etc., African Americans--Civil rights
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Article on seventeen union strikers won't be allowed to have former positions until new positions become open in the Pepsi company. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Pepsi Strikers Can't Have Former Jobs", circa 1982
Date Created
1981/1983
Description
Article on seventeen union strikers won't be allowed to have former positions until new positions become open in the Pepsi company. 1 page.
Subject
Labor, Political participation, Associations, institutions, etc., African Americans--Civil rights
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Two men stand underneath a sign discouraging the purchase of Pepsi products to support worker's rights. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Support Labor", circa 1982
Date Created
1981/1983
Description
Two men stand underneath a sign discouraging the purchase of Pepsi products to support worker's rights. 1 page.
Subject
Labor, Political participation, Associations, institutions, etc., African Americans--Civil rights
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Article on the anger of Pepsi-Cola's worker's wives, and how they are upset by the poor treatment of the company to their employees. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Strikers Wives Angry", circa 1982
Date Created
1981/1983
Description
Article on the anger of Pepsi-Cola's worker's wives, and how they are upset by the poor treatment of the company to their employees. 1 page.
Subject
Labor, Political participation, Associations, institutions, etc., African Americans--Civil rights
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Article on the large percentage of Black voters in the South, especially Georgia, and how voter education and registration drives will target the state to make the most out of the minority vote. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Georgia Called Target for Black Registration Drive", circa 1982
Date Created
1981/1983
Description
Article on the large percentage of Black voters in the South, especially Georgia, and how voter education and registration drives will target the state to make the most out of the minority vote. 1 page.
Subject
Voter registration, Voting, Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records