By Phenix S Halley
(Source: Jacksonville Free Press)
The NAACP is making the largest midterm election investment in its 117-year history, unveiling a $20 million voter mobilization campaign aimed at reaching millions of Black voters before the November elections.
The “Get Out The Vote” campaign marks a historic amount of spending for the organization during a non-presidential election year. NAACP leaders say the campaign aims to strengthen voter participation in communities disproportionately impacted by changes to voting laws and congressional maps following court decisions limiting provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Derrick Johnson, President & CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement, “We’re launching this campaign on our nation’s 250th anniversary — and investing more than we’ve ever invested in a midterm cycle — because this is a pivotal moment for our democracy.” He continued, “The future of this country needs to finally serve the people, and not the wealthy at the top who couldn’t care less about those who actually built this nation with blood, sweat, and tears.”
The campaign will recruit 20,000 volunteers and target 6.5 million Black voters across 14 states and 33 congressional districts, according to the civil rights organization’s announcement this week. The effort comes as the NAACP continues legal challenges to election policies it says have weakened voting rights and minority political representation.
The effort also coincides with the nation’s 250th anniversary, which the NAACP said offers an opportunity to reflect on the country’s democratic ideals and to encourage civic participation ahead of a pivotal election.
“America’s 250th birthday comes at a dark time in our history, when hard-fought victories like the Voting Rights Act are being attacked, especially in the South,” Dominik Whitehead, the NAACP’s Chief of Field, Membership Growth and Unit Sustainability, wrote in a statement to The Root.
“When our community stands together, we have the capacity to change the course of history. We’ve taken on white nationalists, corporate overlords, and powerful interests, and we’ve won. I have no doubt we’ll do it again,” he continued.
The NAACP began laying the groundwork for the effort over a year ago, hosting town halls in states like Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Wisconsin, California, Ohio and New Jersey. Those events focused on voter engagement and organizing ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“By turning out the vote, we can all help put an end to [President] Donald Trump’s assaults on our communities and the rights we’ve secured through immense struggle, and begin to build a future that actually serves our needs — from having accessible healthcare, affordable housing, and getting a good education,” Whitehead told us.
The organization has filed lawsuits over executive orders affecting elections and redistricting plans in states, including Tennessee, Missouri and Texas. It also recently announced a federal court ruling blocking implementation of a U.S. Postal Service policy tied to a Trump administration executive order on mail-in voting, according to the Legal Defense Fund.
The voter turnout effort will focus on registration, canvassing, community events and voter education through Election Day. The NAACP said it also plans to continue advocating for expanded voting access and policies addressing healthcare, education, housing and economic opportunity.
Whitehead continued, “We’ve got to vote in November, every single one of us. Together, we can put an end to these rollbacks and start building a future that actually serves all of us — not just the grifters at the very top.”
