Editor’s note: Today, in Democracy Notes Perspectives, Voting Rights Lab CEO Samantha Tarazi is announcing two initiatives:
The Advancing Liberty Coalition, co-led by Mormon Women for Ethical Government and We the Veterans & Military Families, to bring ideological diversity in the form of membership groups to build a pro-democracy majority, and
The Democracy Campaigns Workshop, to help issue-focused community groups build democracy into the work they’re already leading.
These efforts were informed by a listening tour of 160 community-led organizations last summer, and Samantha shares what VRL learned below.
Her piece also speaks to the contestation over the bounds of “democracy work” that Democracy Notes 2025 Trends surfaced. Are immigrant rights groups doing democracy work? Read on!
The democracy space was quick to condemn the president’s call to “nationalize” our elections. For good reason — free and fair elections are run by the states.
That response must also be a reminder: if elections are run in the states, so too must the movement to defend them from authoritarian overreach.
But how many of us are organizing working-class poll workers on the outskirts of Milwaukee? Who is knocking on doors in the summer heat in El Paso, connecting skyrocketing housing costs and inhumane immigration policies to political attacks on elections? Who is building rapid-response networks to counter disinformation in Durham?
The answer: local leaders. They’re doing this work. Often, without much national visibility.
That’s why last summer, Voting Rights Lab launched a listening tour to better understand what building democratic power requires in this moment. We met with 160 community-led organizations across 17 cities and towns, from immigrant rights groups, to faith leaders, to disability advocates, to rural organizers. Many are not “traditional” democracy organizations, yet their work plays a meaningful role in whether people can participate fully in civic life.
We brought no preset agenda. We asked candid questions. And we listened.
What did we hear?
Many community groups are overwhelmed by crisis after crisis. Threats posed by ICE, rising costs, and access to reliable healthcare are understandably top of mind. “Democracy” can feel less immediate than keeping a family housed or a clinic open.
The democracy movement’s technocratic approach is too far removed from people’s daily lives. It’s created gaps in understanding, engagement, and trust that weaken our movement’s capacity to organize people — that’s what makes democracy, well, democracy.
You don’t need to look hard to see it in action.
Black and brown community leaders are building mutual-aid networks to support their neighbors. Immigrant groups are leading the response to ICE violence. Rural organizations are fighting to sustain regional healthcare providers that anchor their communities.
These efforts may not always be described as “democracy work,” but they strengthen participation, reinforce civic trust, and build the kind of community-level power durable democracies count on.
If a nationalized approach concentrates power, these local efforts expand it.
We must tap into that energy. And we must broaden the coalition working to protect elections and connect democratic freedoms directly to the issues shaping people’s daily lives.
That’s why Voting Rights Lab is launching two initiatives informed by what we heard.
The Advancing Liberty Coalition, co-led by Mormon Women for Ethical Government and We the Veterans & Military Families, brings ideological diversity in the form of membership groups — groups that organize veterans and military families, conservative faith leaders, business leaders, disability advocates, and others to expand the tent. These are groups with the cultural resonance to build the durable, pro-democracy majority our country needs.
Alongside it, the Democracy Campaigns Workshop helps issue-focused community groups build democracy into the work they’re already leading. The goal is practical: share expertise, invest in leadership, support cross-state learning — ensuring the organizations closest to their communities are powering the fight for our democracy.
It is not a new idea to say that the future of this work lies in the states. What is harder — and far more important — is building the infrastructure to support it for the long term.
The path forward is a broader coalition, stronger state infrastructure, and a movement that reflects the full complexity of the country it serves.
That kind of movement is harder to build. It requires patience, coordination, and sustained investment.
But it is also far more resilient.
And in the years ahead, resilience is what our democracy needs.
Samantha Tarazi is CEO of Voting Rights Lab, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to securing and strengthening elections in all 50 states.
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This is great! I wanted to highlight half the article. I especially loved “These efforts may not always be described as “democracy work,” but they strengthen participation, reinforce civic trust, and build the kind of community-level power durable democracies count on.” Thanks for this!