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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  • Subjects = Political science
  • Subjects = Voter registration
The VEP launched a voter mobilization tour which aimed to visit all 11 southern states before election day, and featured a combination of voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, with a focus on educating and motivating nonparticipating segments of society to take an active role in selecting government leaders and having a voice in decisions affecting collective lives. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Voter Education Project on Voter Mobilization Tour", September 19, 1976
Date Created
1976-09-19
Description
The VEP launched a voter mobilization tour which aimed to visit all 11 southern states before election day, and featured a combination of voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, with a focus on educating and motivating nonparticipating segments of society to take an active role in selecting government leaders and having a voice in decisions affecting collective lives. 1 page.
Subject
Voter registration, Political science, African Americans--Civil rights, African American civil rights workers
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
The Federal Election Commission authorized the League of Women Voters to sponsor the proposed presidential campaign debates between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, which are expected to cost $150,000 each and start about the third week in September, but there remains a question regarding the role of independent candidates like conservative Lister Maddox and liberal Eugene McCarthy, who have indicated they will go to court if necessary to force the networks to give them equal time with the two major candidates. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Women Voters to Sponsor Debates", August 31, 1976
Date Created
1976-08-31
Description
The Federal Election Commission authorized the League of Women Voters to sponsor the proposed presidential campaign debates between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, which are expected to cost $150,000 each and start about the third week in September, but there remains a question regarding the role of independent candidates like conservative Lister Maddox and liberal Eugene McCarthy, who have indicated they will go to court if necessary to force the networks to give them equal time with the two major candidates. 1 page.
Subject
Voter registration, Political science, African Americans--Civil rights, African American civil rights workers, African American women
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
A coalition of labor and civil rights groups called the National Coalition on Black Voter Participation has launched Operation Big Vote, a bipartisan registration drive aimed at registering millions of Black voters who have never voted before, with Democrats Jimmy Carter and Walter F. Mondale likely to be the major beneficiaries of any increase in Black voter participation. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Drive to Register Blacks is Opened", August 25, 1976
Date Created
1976-08-25
Description
A coalition of labor and civil rights groups called the National Coalition on Black Voter Participation has launched Operation Big Vote, a bipartisan registration drive aimed at registering millions of Black voters who have never voted before, with Democrats Jimmy Carter and Walter F. Mondale likely to be the major beneficiaries of any increase in Black voter participation. 1 page.
Subject
Voter registration, Political science, African Americans--Civil rights, African American civil rights workers, Labor
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
John Lewis, Executive Director of the Atlanta-based Voter Education Project, displays Proclamations from Governors of ten southern states designating July as �Voter registration Month�. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
John Lewis, July 29, 1976
Date Created
1976-07-29
Description
John Lewis, Executive Director of the Atlanta-based Voter Education Project, displays Proclamations from Governors of ten southern states designating July as �Voter registration Month�. 1 page.
Subject
Voter registration, Political science, African Americans--Civil rights, African American civil rights workers
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Federal Regulations, with the objective of making the registration and voting process for language minority groups comparable to that of English speakers, and providing guidance on compliance with Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. 6 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Department of Justice, Voting Rights Act Interim Guidelines Regarding Language Minority Groups, October 3, 197
Date Created
1975-10-03
Description
Federal Regulations, with the objective of making the registration and voting process for language minority groups comparable to that of English speakers, and providing guidance on compliance with Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. 6 pages.
Subject
Voter registration, Political science, African Americans--Civil rights
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Editorial discussing the opposing views of Mayor Jackson and Senator Talmadge on extending the 1965 Voting Rights Act, with the former supporting its extension and the latter opposing it because it does not cover the entire nation, but ultimately recommends that the bill should be extended regardless of the Senator's proposed amendment. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Voting Rights Act Still Needed", July 17, 1975
Date Created
1975-07-17
Description
Editorial discussing the opposing views of Mayor Jackson and Senator Talmadge on extending the 1965 Voting Rights Act, with the former supporting its extension and the latter opposing it because it does not cover the entire nation, but ultimately recommends that the bill should be extended regardless of the Senator's proposed amendment. 1 page.
Subject
Voter registration, Political science, African Americans--Civil rights
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
John Lewis testified before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee, stating that the southern states had not complied with the Voting Rights Act, and permanent voting rights protection was needed, as citizenship education efforts had been hampered by noncompliance with the Act. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Permanent Voting Rights Protection Needed", April 1975
Date Created
1975-04
Description
John Lewis testified before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee, stating that the southern states had not complied with the Voting Rights Act, and permanent voting rights protection was needed, as citizenship education efforts had been hampered by noncompliance with the Act. 1 page.
Subject
Voter registration, Political science, African Americans--Civil rights, African American civil rights workers
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Suggestions on how to make the voting rights act more effective in getting Blacks registered and more equitable to southern states who are willing to comply, report with statistics. 11 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Report on Effectiveness of Voting Rights Act, 1970
Date Created
1970
Description
Suggestions on how to make the voting rights act more effective in getting Blacks registered and more equitable to southern states who are willing to comply, report with statistics. 11 pages.
Subject
Voter registration, Political science, African Americans--Civil rights
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Two newspaper clippings describing a report and criticisms surrounding the consolidation of the Atlanta and Fulton County governments. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"A Need for Consolidation", November 19, 1969
Date Created
1969-11-19
Description
Two newspaper clippings describing a report and criticisms surrounding the consolidation of the Atlanta and Fulton County governments. 2 pages.
Subject
Voting, Voter registration, Political science, African Americans--Politics and government, City planning
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release from political analyst Nick Thimmesch regarding President Nixon's careful and deliberate approach to his first six months in office. Some critics seized on his minor mistakes as evidence that his administration was coming apart. Thimmesch also discusses the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which he regards as instrumental in registering black voters in the South, despite an uncertain future. The administration proposed a substitute plan that would rely more on local courts and broaden the scope to cover all states. However, seasoned voter-registration workers argued that this plan would not be as effective as the current law, and that it would disproportionately impact the South. 3 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Eyes on the Presidency Press Release by Nick Thimmesch, July 8, 1969
Date Created
1969-07-08
Author
Nick Thimmesch
Description
Press release from political analyst Nick Thimmesch regarding President Nixon's careful and deliberate approach to his first six months in office. Some critics seized on his minor mistakes as evidence that his administration was coming apart. Thimmesch also discusses the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which he regards as instrumental in registering black voters in the South, despite an uncertain future. The administration proposed a substitute plan that would rely more on local courts and broaden the scope to cover all states. However, seasoned voter-registration workers argued that this plan would not be as effective as the current law, and that it would disproportionately impact the South. 3 pages.
Subject
Political participation, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, Presidents, Political science
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Press release from the Democratic National Committee regarding the radical right's retaliation against President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs in 1967. They worked to cut off funds and cripple Great Society programs, discredit and write off the Johnson record, and divide and confuse supporters of the Johnson administration. Despite this, the Democratic Party leadership remained confident that these destructive and divisive forces could be turned back. They pointed to the fact that the Republican House victories in 1966 were narrow victories and that the percentage of loss for the Democrats was less than that suffered by President Eisenhower in 1958 and President Truman in 1946. 3 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Radical Right Maps 1967 Battle Against Great Society Programs", December 20, 1966
Date Created
1966-12-20
Description
Press release from the Democratic National Committee regarding the radical right's retaliation against President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs in 1967. They worked to cut off funds and cripple Great Society programs, discredit and write off the Johnson record, and divide and confuse supporters of the Johnson administration. Despite this, the Democratic Party leadership remained confident that these destructive and divisive forces could be turned back. They pointed to the fact that the Republican House victories in 1966 were narrow victories and that the percentage of loss for the Democrats was less than that suffered by President Eisenhower in 1958 and President Truman in 1946. 3 pages.
Subject
Political science, Political campaigns, Voter registration
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Magazine article discussing how the 1966 midterm elections were a major victory for the Republican Party, which gained 47 seats in the House of Representatives, three seats in the Senate, and eight governorships. The GOP's success was attributed to a number of factors, including discontent with the Johnson administration's handling of the Vietnam War, inflation, and the backlash against civil rights legislation. The election results also set the stage for the 1968 presidential election, in which the Republicans were expected to be a strong contender. 14 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"GOP '66: Back on the Map", November 21, 1966
Date Created
1966-11-21
Description
Magazine article discussing how the 1966 midterm elections were a major victory for the Republican Party, which gained 47 seats in the House of Representatives, three seats in the Senate, and eight governorships. The GOP's success was attributed to a number of factors, including discontent with the Johnson administration's handling of the Vietnam War, inflation, and the backlash against civil rights legislation. The election results also set the stage for the 1968 presidential election, in which the Republicans were expected to be a strong contender. 14 pages.
Subject
Political science, Political campaigns, Voter registration
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records