About us
We enable grassroots volunteers to play a leading role in testing and scaling innovative, high-impact tactics that encourage fellow Americans to vote.
What we do
Every cycle, Vote Forward runs numerous RCTs (randomized controlled trials) to test the effectiveness of our voter turnout programs. Then, in our continued pursuit of innovation and commitment to transparency, we share our learnings with our volunteers and supporters, peer organizations, and the public.
The majority of our voter contact campaigns are nonpartisan, supporting our core 501c(3) and 501c(4) social-welfare mission, which focuses on mobilizing potential voters in historically marginalized communities—such as people of color, women, and young voters. We also support 501(c)(4) partisan campaigns to encourage likely-Democratic voters to turn out in strategic states and districts.
Since launching in 2017, Vote Forward has been committed to scale, impact, and partnership. We’ve written over 40 million letters to voters with the help of over 285,000 volunteers and numerous nonprofit, political, and corporate partners ranging from Patagonia to Daily Kos to the Milwaukee Bucks and more. Now we’re hard at work developing new and innovative tactics for the upcoming election cycle.
285k+
Volunteers powering this work
40M+
Handwritten letters sent to voters
25+
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted & publicly shared
Our approach
Volunteer-powered
Volunteers are the heart of this work, and we’re always working to make it even easier for everyone to participate. Letter writing is an accessible tactic available to experienced activists and new volunteers alike. In 2024, more than a quarter of surveyed letter writers had never volunteered for a civic or political cause before joining Vote Forward.
Evidence-driven
We pioneered the discovery that handwritten letters can significantly boost voter turnout—and then massively scaled the tactic while refining it via dozens of RCTs. We’re continuing to build on what works—and working to develop new tactics—by testing rigorously and repeatedly.
Collaborative
We work with other evidence-driven organizations, researchers, and analysts to co-create and execute novel campaigns. We also offer Vote Forward’s platform and programming to nonprofit, political, and corporate groups, helping them track their volunteers’ impact.
Innovative
We’re working to discover which new tactics are most effective through scientific evaluation and analysis. We transparently report the results of our experiments to our volunteers, donors, partners, and the public for their use and adoption across the pro-democracy ecosystem. Together with our community, we’re an engine shaping the future of high-impact voter contact.
Our Partners
Our origin story
Vote Forward began in 2017 as an experiment conducted by Scott Forman in Alabama, where he sent 1,000 letters to engage voters in a special U.S. Senate election. Encouraged by the success of that test, Scott and a small group of friends and colleagues built the first version of our platform to allow volunteers to take easy and effective action in future elections. We’re so proud of how this community has grown over the years—and the impact we’ve achieved together.
Program Staff
Yasmin Radjy
Executive Director
she/her
Yasmin has more than 15 years of experience as a visionary leader in elections, advocacy, organizing, and outreach. Before Vote Forward, she served in the Biden administration as Senior Advisor for Recovery Program Outreach at the Department of Treasury, leading efforts supporting the implementation of the American Rescue Plan. Previously, she was National Political Director at Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF), Director of Organizing and Training at PPAF and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Virginia State Director at Mobilize during the 2017 election. She received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and her MPP from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She is based in D.C.
Andrea Riveron
Chief of Staff
she/her
Andi has more than 10 years of experience as a team leader and project manager at mission-driven organizations. Before Vote Forward, she held managerial positions where she oversaw client accounts for media production companies. In her role as Chief of Staff, she directs and organizes multiple cross-functional departments and provides strategic advice and counsel to the Executive Director and other senior leaders. She holds a BA in Cinema-Television Production from USC.
Emily Wasserman
Sr. Director of Voter Contact
she/her
Emily Wasserman leads our data and research team, and is responsible for designing, executing, and assessing our grassroots voter contact programs. She’s worked in educational technology at the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, and in social psychology and neuroscience at Boston College. She graduated from Pomona College with a B.A. in Cognitive Science and is based in San Luis Obispo, California.
Phong Le
Data and Research Analyst
he/him
Phong Le manages the data and science for our experimental campaigns. His background is in mathematics and statistics, and he’s interested in the community applications of data. He has a Ph.D in theoretical mathematics from U.C. Irvine, and is based in Baltimore.
Nia Bentall
Sr. Director, Mobilization & Partnerships
she/her
Nia leads our national-scale mobilization and partnerships strategies. She created the inaugural Swing Left College Fellowship in 2018 and has expanded her role to support mobilization and partnerships for both Swing Left and Vote Forward since then. She has over 10 years of reproductive rights and electoral organizing experience, previously holding positions at Planned Parenthood. She graduated with a BA in American Government from the University of Virginia and is based in D.C.
Technical Staff
Sam Hall
Development Director
she/her
Sam oversees our mid-tier fundraising program, institutional giving, and special events. She led nonprofit fundraising at several other organizations before joining our team. She earned her MA in Social Policy from UPenn and lives in Philadelphia.
Anna Langer
Sr. Director, Product
she/her
Anna leads our efforts to strategically harness digital platforms. With deep experience in the tech start-up space, she firmly believes in the power of UX as a positive change catalyst. She holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Minnesota and a BA from Carleton College, and is based in the Bay Area.
Michelle Alwardt
Head of Operations
she/her
Michelle leads our financial, compliance, legal, administrative, and people programs. She has spent over 10 years managing the operations needs of mission-driven organizations including Planned Parenthood Action Fund and the Victory Fund. She’s driven by a deep passion for the advancement of intersectional and progressive causes, and calls Atlanta home.
As seen in:
Support our work
To make a contribution to Vote Forward, please donate online via ActBlue or contact Jennifer Falkey, Development Program Manager, at jfalkey@votefwd.org.
Want to learn more?
For questions about letters, check out our help site or chat bot. If you are unable to find an answer, you can email help@votefwd.org for support.