| 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 |
| "GOP's Southern Strategy Singing the Atwater Blues", March 9, 1989 | 1989-03-09 | Newspaper article discussing the resignation of Lee Atwater, chairman of the Republican National Committee, from the board of trustees of Howard University after students protested his appointment. Atwater had been criticized for his history of using racist political tactics, and the students argued that he did not represent the black agenda represented by the historically-Black college. 1 page. | Political campaigns, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, Political participation | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| "Black Voter Turnout and Registration Rates Fall In Last Presidential Election, Census Bureau Reports", March | 1989-03-08 | Report from the Census Bureau examining voter turnout in the 1988 presidential election. The report found that voter turnout among Black Americans decreased from 56% in 1984 to 52% in 1988, with white voter turnout also decreasing from 61% to 59%, while Hispanic voter turnout fell from 33% to 29%. The report also found that Black voter turnout was higher in the North and West than it was in the South. Among Whites, voter turnout was higher in the North and West than in the South. Overall, the report found that registration rates among Black Americans, White Americans, and Hispanic Americans all decreased from 1984 to 1988. 3 pages. | African American civic leaders, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, Political participation | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| "Beginning with Voting", February 20, 1989 | 1989-02-20 | Newspaper book review of Abigail Themstrom's "Whose Votes Count: Affirmative Action and Minority Voting Rights", which examined the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and its impact on minority representation in government. Themstrom argued that the act had been distorted from its original intent and that the current focus on proportional representation was misguided. She believed that the act should be amended to focus on equality of opportunity, rather than equality of outcomes. 4 pages. | African American civic leaders, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, Civil rights movements | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| Southern Regional Council News Release, 1992 Presidential Election, February 10, 1989 | 1989-02-10 | A report by the nonpartisan Southern Regional Council (SRC) in Atlanta suggests that the Democrats could win a majority of the Southern states in the next presidential election with only a modest increase in Southern White support, if the rate of registration and turnout of Black and Hispanic voters equals that of whites in 1992. The study shows that Democratic gains in predominantly White precincts were cancelled out by a sharp decline in votes since 1984 in majority Black precincts, and that Democratic inroads into White urban voters in the South were nullified by the party's failure to increase the actual number of Black votes. 6 pages. | Political campaigns, Voter registration, Voting, Political participation | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| Voter Registration Application, Blank, 1989 | 1989 | A blank voter registration application. 1 page. | Voter registration | 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 |
| VEP Press Release, October 30, 1987 | 1987-10-30 | Press release from the Voter Education Project regarding a study on the 1987 mayoral election in College Park, Georgia, Black voters had a majority in voter registration but turnout was significantly lower than white turnout. This resulted in a three-to-one victory margin for the incumbent white mayor. The Voter Education Project (VEP) found that Black voter registration had increased by 7.33% between 1985 and 1987, while white voter registration decreased by 21.43%. VEP called on Black voters in College Park to be more active in the city's politics. 2 pages. | Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| VEP Press Release, October 30, 1987 | 1987-10-30 | Press release regarding the 1987 College Park mayoral election, in which white voters participated at a rate almost twice that of Black voters. This disparity in voter turnout helped incumbent mayor T. Owen Smith win by a three-to-one margin over Black candidate Jessie Dent. Dr. K. Farouk Brimah, Director of Research at the Voter Education Project, said that while race played a significant role in the voting behavior of College Park voters, emphasis on increasing the Black vote in the future must be placed on an effective get-out-the-vote campaign. 2 pages. | Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| The Southern Women's Political Campaign Workshop Brochure, September 26, 1987 | 1987-09-26 | The Southern Women's Political Campaign Workshop brochure describing the workshop schedule an organization's information. 3 pages. | African Americans--Civil rights, African American women's suffrage, Women's rights, African Americans--Politics and government, Voter registration | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| VEP Press Release, December 1, 1986 | 1986-12-01 | Press release from the Voter Education Project regarding study by the Voter Education Project and the Atlanta University Policy Center, which found that voter turnout in the South increased significantly in the 1986 congressional and senatorial elections. The study found that 51.9% of registered voters in the South went to the polls, up from 41.8% in 1982. The study attributed the increase in voter turnout to a number of factors, including the depressed state of the agriculture and energy economy in the region, the severe cutbacks in federal programs, and the highly inflammatory nature of the campaigns waged by the candidates. 2 pages. | Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| VEP Press Release, November 10, 1986 | 1986-11-10 | Press release from the Voter Education Project regarding a study by the Voter Education Project and the Atlanta University Policy Center, which found that the Black vote was crucial to Wyche Fowler's victory in the 1986 Senate race in Georgia. The study found that Black voters turned out at a higher rate than white voters, and they voted overwhelmingly for Fowler. The study also found that Mattingly's endorsement by Ronald Reagan was a major factor in the decline in Black support for him. 1 page. | Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| VEP Press Release, August 28, 1986 | 1986-08-28 | Press release from the Voter Education Project regarding a study by the Voter Education Project (VEP) and the Atlanta University Policy Center, which found that Black turnout was not significantly higher than white turnout in the August 12, 1988 Democratic primaries in the 5th Congressional District of Georgia. The study found that 32.5% of Black voters and 31.1% of white voters cast ballots in the Democratic primary, and that only 21.1% of Black voters and 19.1% of white voters cast ballots that actually impacted the outcome of the race. The study also found that the outcome of the Republican primary was determined by the white vote, as only 1.6% of voters cast ballots for the three Republican candidates. 2 pages. | Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| "Voting Is a Responsibility, Not Just a Right", 1986 | 1986 | Flyer listing registration deadline and voting day. 1 page. | African Americans--Civil rights, Political posters, Voter registration, Voting | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| Introduction of the VEP, With Plan for 1986 | 1985/1988 | A brief history of the VEP, with a plan and objections for the program in 1986. 11 pages. | African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta, African American civil rights workers, Voter registration, Voting, African Americans--Civil rights, Political participation | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| Correspondence Between Geraldine Thompson and Marlene K. Cohn, October 17, 1985 | 1985-10-17 | Correspondence between Geraldine Thompson and Marlene K. Cohn discussing the final stages of developing a publication, "Electoral Participation: Gateway to Democracy" and outline of the publication. 3 pages. | African Americans--Civil rights, African American women's suffrage, Women's rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, Women--Societies and clubs | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| "Targeting the Women's Vote" Address Before the National Women's Political Caucus, June 27, 1985 | 1985-06-27 | "Targeting the Women's Vote" address before the National Women's Political Caucus report by Paul O. Wilson, president of National Election Services Cooperation. 21 pages. | African Americans--Civil rights, African American women's suffrage, Women's rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| VEP Press Release, June 19, 1985 | 1985-06-19 | Press release from the Voter Education Project issuing a resolution urging the U.S. Senate to reject the confirmation of William Bradford Reynolds as Associate Attorney General of the United States. VEP believed that Reynolds was not qualified for the position and that his confirmation would further entrench the ongoing reversal in civil rights. VEP cited Reynolds' opposition to the renewal of the Voting Rights Act, his misinterpretation of the law, and his attempts to give tax exemptions to segregated schools as evidence of his unsuitability for the position. 1 page. | Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government | Voter Education Project Organizational Records |
| VEP Press Release, May 7, 1985 | 1985-05-07 | Press release from the Voter Education Project discussing how Black candidates for municipal, county, and state offices faced primary and general elections in 1985 throughout the South. There were several important races, including the contest for Lieutenant Governor in Virginia, the mayor's race in Jackson, Mississippi, and municipal elections in Georgia and Alabama under new single-member district election plans. The Voter Education Project (VEP) encouraged Black voters to participate in these elections and to let their power be felt. 2 pages. | Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, Voter registration, African Americans--Politics and government, Demographic surveys | 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.
