The biggest bang for your political buck (in this lifetime, anyway) awaits in Georgia, where the U.S. balance of power is at stake: As of this writing, runoffs for two Senate seats in January will determine whether or not Democrats control both chambers of Congress in addition to the White House. If Republicans win one or both seats, then they will maintain control of the Senate. If Democrats win both seats, the Senate will be controlled by Democrats, who already have the House. And thanks to Joe Biden’s victory, they’ll also control the presidency, giving Vice President-elect Kamala Harris tie-breaking votes in the Senate. Here’s where to donate to these high-stakes races:
- Candidate campaigns. You can’t go wrong by clicking the “donate” button on the campaign websites: Kelly Loeffler (R), Raphael Warnock (D), David Perdue (R), and Jon Ossoff (D). However, millions of people will be doing just this.
If you’d like to directly fund the top-notch organizations on the ground that work to get the 40% of eligible voters who didn’t vote in 2016 to the polls, here’s where to donate:
- Black Voters Matter Fund. Want to help more Black communities vote? This is your group. They advocate for expanded voting rights and access, and just finished months of intensive voter registration and outreach across the South. Now they’re hitting the streets in the Peach State. Donate here.
- ACLU of Georgia. The civil liberties legal group is intensely involved in protecting Georgians’ voter rights both in courtrooms and at polling stations. Donate here.
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta. Before the November 3 election, the nonpartisan group called 92% of Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in Georgia. They’ll do it again leading up to January. Donate here.
- The New Georgia Project. A well-regarded effort to register and engage voters, credited with enrolling over 500,000 people. Though officially a nonpartisan 501(c)3, NGP is associated with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. They will be out in force for the next two months. Donate here.
- NAACP Georgia. This nonpartisan branch is quite active in getting voters to the polls, including a partnership with Lyft to facilitate voting. Donate here.
- Galeo. A nonpartisan group building civic engagement in the Latino community. Their substantial voter registration arm aims to make sure that all eligible Latinos are both registered and turn out. Donate here.
- Fair Fight. The nationwide group combats voter suppression and promotes “free and fair elections” from its home base in Georgia. It is a left-leaning PAC. Donate here.
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