Alabama Election Protection Network is a collaborative of nonpartisan grassroots organizations who are dedicated to upholding the core values of democracy. We work to ensure an open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.
AEPN seeks to ensure safe, fair, and secure elections by providing Alabamians with comprehensive information and assistance at all stages of voting, from registration, to absentee and early voting, to casting a vote at the polls, to overcoming obstacles to participation. Our goal is to work together to make elections more inclusive, accurate, and accessible.
In 2022 AEPN’s voter engagement s
Educational Resources and Campaigns
Alabama Election Protection initiative is to educate leaders and legislators in criminal justice reform, recruit and train a coalition of community leaders and clergy with their Voter Engagement Toolkit, to expand effective civic and community engagement to fight against voter suppression, to increase access to vote for under-represented and under-resourced communities, and to impact unjust redistricting that has led to a one party rule for more than a decade.
The Ordinary People Society (TOPS) is an innovative, faith-based community program that was founded in 1994 to offer hope to individuals and their families who suffer the many effects of destitution and mass incarceration. TOPS creates an environment that provides unconditional acceptance and care for those dealing with drug addiction, mass incarceration, homelessness, poverty, unemployment, hunger, and illness.
Though headquartered in Alabama, TOPS has 8 Chapters throughout the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. They exist to recognize the disparities in arrest, bail, and incarceration and to ensure the right to vote for the most under-resourced and vulnerable communities amongst us. TOPS founder, Pastor Kenneth Glasgow, set out on a mission to increase equity for ordinary people caught up in the criminal justice system. He focused on restoring full citizenship to formerly and currently incarcerated individuals, which included restoring their right to vote.
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Rodreshia Russaw
Executive Director at T.O.P.S
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334-671-2882
wearetops.org
Friends of the West End (FOWE) is a community-based 501c3 nonprofit organization in Birmingham, Alabama that serves as an advocate for Birmingham’s West End neighborhood by offering a wide variety of resources to better the community and the livelihood of its citizens. Over the years, it has expanded its outreach to communities outside the West End Community and across the entire state through its partnership with the Alabama Coalition on Black Civic Participation (ACBCP) and Alabama Black Women’s Round Table (ABWR). FOWE serves as the fiscal sponsor for ACBCP and ABWR.
ABWR is an affiliate of the National Black Women’s Roundtable, an empowerment program that is part of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. The NCBCP is a nonprofit organization that works to engage, educate, organize, and mobilize African Americans of all ages to participate in our democracy. Through educational programs and leadership training, the Coalition works to expand, strengthen, and empower Black communities to make voting and civic participation a cultural responsibility and tradition. Alabama Black Youth Vote (ABYV) is also a network partner. ABYV engages high school and college students across the state of Alabama.
FOWE, in conjunction with ACBCP, ABWR and ABYV, have a long history of voter protection engagement. This network along with their partnership organizations listed below allow their outreach to extend across 47 Alabama counties that crisscross the state. Partnership organizations include: Alabama NAN, NAN Birmingham Chapter, Birmingham Metro Chapter of NAACP, Alabama Black Women’s Roundtable (Southern Division), Black Votes Matter, Alabama New South, Women of Will, Selma 50, Safe Ourselves, Greater Titusville Civitan, Ignite Alabama, Birmingham Urban League (and Alabama networks), Alabama Poor People’s Campaign, Alabama Justice Initiative, Black Money Matters, Alabama Black Chambers of Commerce, BLK Pearl, Black Belt Deliberative Dialogue Group, Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, Refuge in Troubled Times, Lift Our Vote and Black Belt Citizens Fighting for Health and Justice.
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Sheila Tyson
Convener Alabama Coalition on Black Civic Participation
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205-249-8559
ncbcp.org
Hometown Organizing Project is working on the frontlines of Alabama’s rural communities to develop place-based solutions to communities’ most pressing challenges. With roots in disaster recovery and response, Hometown Organizing Project was one of the first organizations on the ground after an EF-4 tornado struck Beauregard, Alabama in 2019 and built a statewide disaster response network that became instrumental in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hometown Organizing Project envisions a mass grassroots movement of marginalized and low-income Alabamians building autonomous systems of mutual aid that support our communities’ ability to thrive and to serve as models for new social, political, and economic systems where all residents take an active role in the civic process.
To that end, Hometown Organizing Project is engaged in election protection work to ensure every voter, especially marginalized rural voters, can exercise their right to vote without facing undue barriers or sacrificing their health. We are actively engaging Alabamians in the civic process, developing election protection leaders, and building a network of volunteers committed to maintaining the integrity of the democratic process.
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Justin Vest
Executive Director at H.O.P.
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205-378-9718
hometownorganizing.org
GillilandMarks, LLC specializes in leading and managing collaborative organizational networks and helping organizations, both collaboratively and individually, identify and secure fundraising goals. With more than 30 years of experience in organizational development, and helping clients meet and exceed goals of more than $100,000,000, GillilandMarks empowers organizations to build opportunity, overcome obstacles, and achieve results. GililandMarks founder, Melissa Gilliland, was the founding Executive Director of The Alabama Alliance and The Alabama Alliance Network. She was instrumental in the establishment of Alabama Forward, a 501(c)(3) collaborative network, and Alabama RACE, a 501(c)(4). Over the previous decade, Gilliland has assisted nonprofits and college and university clients to launch and execute comprehensive capital campaigns and build long-term sustainable development programs. Prior to working in the nonprofit and business development arena, Gilliland was the co-founder of a national political fundraising firm.
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Phone: 256-614-9427
Email: melissa@gillilandmarks.com
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