National
The Alliance for Justice is a national association of more than sixty organizations advocating environmental protections, civil rights, social justice, individual privacy, and consumer protections. Projects of the Alliance for Justice include: the Judicial Selection Project, which advocates for a fair and independent federal judiciary; the Nonprofit Advocacy Project, which works to strengthen the voice of nonprofits in public policy debates; and the Foundation Advocacy Initiative, which seeks to educate grantmakers on their legal rights to support nonprofit work.
The Alliance’s commitment to social justice and civil rights goes hand in hand with DC Vote’s mission for social justice and voting rights for DC residents.
Our president, Mike Lux, founded American Family Voices in 2000 with a mission to take on projects that needed doing, but that more traditional DC groups weren’t able or willing to take on. He wanted AFV to be a center of innovation in political strategy, with the ability to move with lightning speed and without bureaucracy to make a big impact on the political world.
ADA is America's oldest independent liberal lobbying organization. In the spirit of the New Deal and ADA founders Eleanor Roosevelt, renowned economist John Kenneth Galbraith, and former Senator and Vice President Hubert Humphrey we lobby through coalition partnerships, through direct advocacy, and through the media. Our lobbying philosophy is based on democratic action - motivating our grassroots members to lobby their senators and representatives as constituent-advocates.
With 65,000 members nationwide, numerous state and local chapters, and its headquarters in the District of Columbia actively engaging in the political process, ADA continually strives to push for democratic and progressive values and ideals in American policy. Our founders included Eleanor Roosevelt, labor leader Walter Reuther, economist John Kenneth Galbraith, historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, and former Vice President Hubert Humphrey.
We are a group of D.C. residents united against a threat to our home.
Americans for Self-Rule is a non-profit Political Action Committee founded to protect the democratic will of DC residents from Congressional overreach and to promote the District's right to independent, democratic self-governance.
The Center for Black Equity is a coalition of Black gay pride organizers formed to promote a multinational network of LGBT/SGL Prides and community-based organizations.
CREDO Action organizes for progressive change. We mobilize our more than 5 million activists to speak out and pressure decision-makers from the local to the national levels. From opposing war to relentlessly defending reproductive freedom, protecting our environment and a healthy food system, fixing our broken democracy and fighting for an economy that works for everyone, CREDO empowers activists to work for the change we want to see, not what we are told we can acheive by Washington insiders.
CREDO Action is the advocacy arm of CREDO, a social change organization that offers products- like CREDO Mobile- in order to fund grassroots activism and progressive nonprofit organizations.
Founded on May 26, 2002, Daily Kos is at once a news organization, community, and activist hub. Among luminaries posting diaries on the site are Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and dozens of other senators, congressmen, and governors. Even more exciting than that, however, are the hundreds of thousands of regular Americans that have used Daily Kos to shape a political world once the exclusive domain of the rich, connected, and powerful.
Daily Kos has the largest audience in liberal media, ranked a top-100 site in the United States by Quantcast among ALL sites, with 18.5 million unique visitors and over 80 million page views in November 2016. We have an email list that is 3 million strong—1 million of that accumulated just since the election. Our content is typically viewed by 60 million people on Facebook every week, with about 20 million engaging with it (commenting, sharing, liking). There is a resistance brewing in this country, and it is making Daily Kos its home.
Democracy for America (DFA) is a member-driven, people-powered political action committee founded by former presidential candidate and DNC chair Gov. Howard Dean. Our mission is to build and empower the progressive grassroots to take our democracy back from corporations and the wealthy few and aggressively combat growing income inequality.
Over our decade-plus of activism, DFA has consistently been on the front lines of our nation’s most prominent political and ideological battles.
We are fighting for a democracy that ensures your political influence isn’t determined by the size of your wallet. We highlight the way money buys policy in Washington, D.C., and state capitals. We hold politicians accountable for doing the bidding of their campaign donors at the expense of everyday people. And with our broad, diverse group of allies, we mobilize millions of Americans to show that change is possible and we can create a government that’s truly of, by, and for the people.
FairVote seeks elections that promote voter turnout, fair representation, inclusive policy and meaningful choices by building on our nation's history of improving upon the American experiment. As a catalyst for electoral reforms such as instant runoff voting, proportional voting, direct election of the president and automatic voter registration, we conduct research, analysis, education and organizing to ensure all Americans can exercise their right to vote and elect representatives who reflect our racial and political diversity.
FairVote has six program areas: the Program for Representative Government (reforms to represent racial and political diversity, in particular proportional voting methods); IRV America (supporting majority winners, meaningful choices and better campaigns through instant runoff voting); Voting and Democracy Research Center (research and analysis of our elections through the lens of our goals for elections); Election Services Group (consulting on electoral systems, with a focus on non-governmental elections); and the Democracy USA initiative (creating a stronger, more strategic network of national and state pro-democracy advocates that can nimbly pursue a comprehensive reform agenda). We pursue special initiatives, including an effort being launched this spring in support of direct election of the president.
Food & Water Watch champions healthy food and clean water for all. We stand up to corporations that put profits before people, and advocate for a democracy that improves people’s lives and protects our environment.
We are working to create a healthy future for our families and for generations to come—a world where all people have the resources they need, including wholesome food, clean water and sustainable energy. Making this happen requires organizing people from all over the country to build a large movement with the political power to make our democratic process work. Large numbers of people are a countervailing force to corporations “buying” public policy.
Greenpeace is a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR) is the nation’s premier civil rights coalition. The Leadership Conference has organized the national legislative campaign on every major civil rights law since 1957. Issues the Leadership Conference addresses include: affirmative action, religious freedom, rights of indigenous peoples, criminal justice, and voting rights, among many others. The issue of DC voting rights is very important to the Leadership Conference, and working with DC Vote raises more awareness about this injustice.
The 1.2 million member activists of NARAL Pro-Choice America fight for reproductive freedom for every person in every state. Each day, we organize and mobilize to protect that freedom by fighting for access to abortion care, birth control, paid parental leave and protections from pregnancy discrimination.
Like 7 in 10 Americans, we believe abortion must remain legal and accessible. We are the foot soldiers who work to ensure that abortion access is not only protected, but expanded for every American. Since 1969, our member-driven campaigns have propelled political and cultural change at every level, from the statehouse to the White House.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) has been advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education since it was founded in 1977.
Each year, NCLR shapes the legal landscape for all LGBT people and families across the nation through its precedent- setting litigation, legislation, policy, and public education.
For more than three decades, NCLR has led historic cases, and it is still blazing trails in pursuit of justice, fairness, and legal protections for all LGBT people.
The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people.
We’re building a future where everyone is free to be themselves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. These barriers must go. That’s why the Task Force is training and mobilizing millions of activists across our nation to deliver a world where you can be you.
People For the American Way and its affiliate, People For the American Way Foundation, are progressive advocacy organizations founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity.
Today, Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide.
Pride At Work is a nonprofit organization that represents LGBTQ union members and their allies. We are an officially recognized constituency group of the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations) that organizes mutual support between the organized Labor Movement and the LGBTQ Community to further social and economic justice. From our national office in Washington, DC, we coordinate and support more than 20 Chapters across the country.
We seek full equality for LGBTQ Workers in our workplaces and unions. We work towards creating a Labor Movement that cherishes diversity, encourages openness, and ensures safety & dignity. We aim to educate the LGBTQ Community about the benefits of a union contract for LGBTQ working people, and to build support and solidarity for the union movement in the LGBTQ community.
We organize in the spirit of the union movement’s historic motto, “An Injury to One is An Injury to All.” We oppose all forms of discrimination on the job and in our unions based on sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, religion or political views.
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC, BoldProgressives.org) is a million-member grassroots organization building power at the local, state, and federal levels. It engages in electoral work and issue advocacy work on democracy issues and for economic populist priorities. The PCCC has raised over $26 million online in grassroots donations for its electoral and advocacy work, and directly for progressive candidates and committees.
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in the halls of power. We defend democracy, resist corporate power and work to ensure that government works for the people – not for big corporations. Founded in 1971, we now have 500,000 members and supporters throughout the country.
Founded more than 90 years ago, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is an organization of 2.1 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide and dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. It is the fasted growing union in North America.
Local
The ACLU of the District of Columbia (ACLU-DC), with more than 20,000 local members, fights to protect and expland civil liberties and civil rights for people who live, work, and visit D.C., and in matters involving federal employees and agencies.
ACLU-DC pursues its mission through legal action, legislative advocacy, and public education. In addition to representing clients in court, sometimes we work with government agencies to defend liberty without litigation. We also testify and lobby before the D.C. Council, and we educate the public through Know Your Rights trainings and materials, appearances on radio and television, social media activity, and meetings with community groups.
The Anacostia Coordinating Council (ACC), founded in 1983, is a volunteer, membership consortium of organizations and individuals concerned with the revitalization of Anacostia and its neighboring communities east of the Anacostia River.
DCMJ is a community group fighting for equal rights for DC cannabis users, growers, and their families, founded in the spring of 2013 by Adam Eidinger and Nikolas Schiller in order to change the outdated marijuana laws in the District of Columbia.
The DC Environmental Network, spearheaded by Global Green USA and founded in 1996 — is working toward a vision of rebuilding Washington, DC’s neighborhoods and communities for long-term economic stability — accomplishing this by protecting and restoring the Capital City’s urban environment. We also engage at the regional level when necessary.
Meeting every month to focus on problems specific to the DC region, Network members exchange current information and develop campaign strategies. The Network then helps coordinate a coalition response.
DC for Democracy is the District’s largest unaligned progressive group of activists, community leaders and everyday voters working for positive change in our local government and recognition in America’s legislature.
The DC Statehood Coalition is a coalition of national and local organizations who support statehood for the people of Washington, DC. The people of Washington, DC deserve the same rights as Americans living in the 50 states. We want full voting representation in the US Congress and an end to Congressional interference in our local government. We can do this by creating the 51st state from the residential and commercial areas of the District of Columbia, preserving a smaller federal district as the nation's capital.
The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club is the voice of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Democrats in the District of Columbia. Established in 1976, Gertude Stein is one of the oldest Democratic clubs in the District and is a founding chapter of the National Stonewall Democrats. The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club maintains active members in each of the 8 wards of the District of Columbia.
The League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation of citizens in government. The League's goal is to influence public policy through education and advocacy. DC Vote and the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia have worked together in the past and will continue to work together for DC voting rights.
As the voice of working people in local communities across the United States, the AFL-CIO Central Labor Councils are the heart of the American labor movement.
By uniting the labor movement and mobilizing the local community, the Councils play a critical role on local, state and national issues as we work to accomplish our mission “To organize in the community to promote social justice for all working people.”
The Metropolitan Washington Council is proud to be at the forefront of this movement, working with nearly 200 affiliated union locals and our community, religious, student and political allies to improve the lives of workers and their families throughout the greater metro Washington area.
Neighbors United for Statehood is a group of District citizens who believe that through grassroots community organizing and strategic congressional outreach we can be the foundation and driving force behind the DC Statehood movement. Our strategy is to work neighborhood by neighborhood educating and organizing small groups at a time to build a sustainable movement for statehood. These groups work to recruit their friends and neighbors while also targeting members of Congress for sustained outreach and lobbying focused on statehood.
The Service Employees State Council was officially re-organized in November 2003 with the adoption of a new Constitution to guide the organization's growth. The State Council is made up of nearly 30,000 members in several SEIU local unions operating in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
With more than 120,000 members in eight states and Washington, DC, 32BJ is the largest property service workers union in the country. 32BJ is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), an organization of over 2 million members united by a belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide. To raise industry standards and improve lives, SEIU and 32BJ focuses its resources on organizing new members into the union.
THE MISSION OF STAND UP! FOR DEMOCRACY IN DC (FREE DC) IS TO OBTAIN FULL DEMOCRACY FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WITH EQUAL RIGHTS UNDER THE U.S. CONSTITUTION AND HUMAN RIGHTS CONSISTENT WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW, AND TO PROMOTE GOOD GOVERNANCE FOR THE WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE.
UNITE (formerly the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees) and HERE (Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union) merged on July 8, 2004 forming UNITE HERE. The union represents more than 450,000 active members and more than 400,000 retirees throughout North America.
UNITE HERE boasts a diverse membership, comprised largely of immigrants and including high percentages of African-American, Latino, and Asian-American workers. The majority of UNITE HERE members are women.