| Title | Date Created | Description | Subject | Collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Protest to Politics 25th Anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act" Conference, November 16, 1990 | 1990-11-16 | Materials from the Voter Education Project's 25th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act Conference. The conference featured many events and speakers that honored the legacy of voting rights activism underlying VEP. VEP's work helped to pave the way for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was responsible for spurring the most significant expansion of American democratic processes in the last half of the 20th century. However, VEP still faced challenges in the form of persisting social restraints to successful biracial politics and even some remaining legal barriers to the ballot. Nonetheless, the VEP made significant progress in expanding voting rights for African Americans, and its work was essential to ensuring that all Americans have a voice in our democracy. 211 pages. | Political participation, Meetings, African Americans--Civil rights, African Americans--Politics and government, Voter registration | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| "If Not for Your Sake, for Our Sake, for Gods Sake", 1990 | 1990 | Flyer depicting children on a porch asking people to vote in the general primary run off elections. 1 page. | African Americans--Civil rights, Political posters, Voter registration, Voting | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| "Young Lost for Many Reasons", 1990 | 1990 | Andrew Young, a prominent civil rights activist and former United Nations ambassador, failed to become Georgia's first Black governor in a run-off election, despite efforts to build a multiracial coalition and attract businesses to the state. The article highlights the challenges faced by Black candidates in the South, including a lack of support from White voters and an inability to mobilize enough Black voters to win statewide races. 1 page. | African American civic leaders, African American civil rights worker, African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta, Voting, African Americans--Politics and government, African Americans--Civil rights | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| "Fulton County Field Deputy Registrar Instruction" Booklet, circa 1990 | 1988/1992 | Handbook used in the training of Fulton County Field Deputy Registrars, which includes information regarding Georgia election code rules and regulations, registration qualifications, and instructions for completing voter registration. 42 pages. | Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, African American civil rights workers | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| "Making Democracy Work" VEP Brochure, circa 1988 | 1983/1993 | "Making Democracy Work" brochure expressing the history, actions, and goals of the VEP. | Associations, institutions, etc., Voter registration, Voting | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
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.
