States United Democracy Center

What States United Democracy Center does

States United Democracy Center is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3)-style nonprofit organization founded in 2021 and headquartered in Washington, DC. It provides legal, research, policy, and communications support to state and local election officials and to law enforcement leaders across the United States. Its work is organized around four priorities: Election Protection (supporting state officials who administer nonpartisan elections), Rule of Law (defending the Constitution and system of checks and balances), Public Safety (collaborating with law enforcement to keep elections safe and strengthen community trust), and Information Integrity (sharing factual information about democracy and elections). The organization also publishes polling data, research reports, amicus briefs, and a 2026 Midterm Elections Resource Hub, and amplifies legal outcomes such as the California disbarment of John Eastman.

The organization is led by President & CEO Joanna Lydgate, Research Director Kelly Rader, and Election Protection Program Director Dax Goldstein, and is supported by a bipartisan advisory board of former state and federal officials, issue experts, and law enforcement leaders. It operates a closely affiliated 501(c)(4) sibling, States United Action, which conducts political and policy research, polling, and election denial analysis on a shared website. The two entities together provide both the nonpartisan direct-support function (Democracy Center) and the more politically engaged research and polling function (Action).

The business model is donation-based: the organization generates revenue from contributions by individuals, foundations, and other supporters aligned with its democracy-protection mission, and it does not sell products or services commercially. It distributes support directly to state and local officials through engagement and coalition-building, and reaches the broader public through its website, blog, email newsletter, press releases, and reports. There is no technology platform, software product, or AI component to the offering.

Name

States United Democracy Center

Legal name

States United Democracy Center

Website

https://statesuniteddemocracy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

States United Democracy Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit that provides legal, research, policy, and communications support to state election officials and law enforcement leaders across the United States, organized around election protection, rule of law, public safety, and information integrity priorities, and funded by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Election Policy Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Election protection services
• Democracy policy advocacy
• Rule of law support
• Voting rights research
• Election administration support

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization generates revenue through donations from individuals, foundations, and other supporters who align with its mission of protecting democracy and the rule of law. The website prominently features a 'Donate' option.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

States United Democracy Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that provides legal, research, policy, and communications support directly to state officials and law enforcement leaders. Its work is organized around four priority areas — Election Protection, Rule of Law, Public Safety, and Information Integrity — aimed at safeguarding free, fair, and secure elections, defending the Constitution, and strengthening public trust in democratic institutions.

Product overview

States United Democracy Center is a nonpartisan policy and advocacy organization (not a technology product company). It offers a unified set of democracy protection services organized around four core priorities: Election Protection (legal/policy support for election administration), Rule of Law (constitutional defense), Public Safety (law enforcement collaboration), and Information Integrity (fact-sharing). These are supported by research resources including polling data, legal cases/amicus briefs, and reports. The organization also maintains a 2026 Midterm Elections Resource Hub. The affiliated States United Action organization conducts analysis on election denial and produces polling data. There are no software products, platforms, APIs, or technology offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Election Protection
• Rule of Law Works with state officials to defend the Constitution, the authority of states to govern and serve their constituents, and the system of checks and balances.
• Public Safety Works with law enforcement leaders, as well as state and local officials, in their efforts to keep elections safe, defend the rule of law, and strengthen community trust.
• Information Integrity Shares facts about democracy and elections and helps state officials ensure voters have access to accurate information.
• 2026 Midterm Elections Resource Hub A resource hub providing materials on threats to midterm elections and how election officials are preparing, including analysis of attacks on elections.
• Reports Published research and analysis on democracy, elections, rule of law, and public safety issues.
• Polling Data Public opinion research on elections, democracy, and voting-related topics, including survey data on American trust in elections.
• Cases & Amicus Briefs Legal documents and court filings including amicus briefs related to election protection and constitutional issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• 74% of Americans agree it is more important to count every legal vote than for their preferred candidates to win

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• States United ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStates United Action is a closely related organization that conducts political and policy research. The two organizations share a joint website. States United Action conducts polling and research (e.g., June 2023 survey on voting priorities), while States United Democracy Center focuses on direct support to state officials. The organizations work together on shared democracy protection goals.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• League of Women Voters: A historic nonpartisan civic organization focused on voter engagement, election administration, and information integrity. Overlaps with States United's information integrity priority and works on election protection, though at a much larger scale and with a longer history.
• Common Cause: A longstanding nonpartisan government accountability and election integrity organization. Operates in the same democracy-protection space as States United with a broader portfolio including redistricting, ethics reform, and voting access.
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: A major civil rights law organization that litigates to protect voting rights and fair elections. Comparable to States United's election protection and rule-of-law priorities through litigation, but operates at much larger scale and from a more explicitly civil-rights posture.
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): A large nonpartisan civil liberties organization that litigates on voting rights, free speech, and government accountability. Comparable to States United's rule-of-law and election protection work, though it covers a much broader civil liberties agenda.
• Brennan Center for Justice: A larger, established democracy and justice research institution at NYU School of Law that works on election administration, voting rights, and rule of law. Directly comparable to States United in mission focus and is even cited as a source on States United's own Public Safety priority page, indicating overlapping policy terrain.

Emerging players

• National Election Defense Coalition: A grassroots organization focused on election integrity and voting systems reform. Comparable to States United's election protection work from a more advocacy-driven posture, with a smaller footprint and more issue-specific focus.
• RepresentUs: A nonpartisan anti-corruption and election reform organization that pushes state and local democracy reforms. Comparable to States United in its state-focused democracy work, though oriented more toward structural reform and ballot initiatives than direct support to election administrators.

Direct peers

• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: A national civil rights organization that conducts election protection work, including voter protection hotlines and election-related litigation. Comparable to States United's election protection program and overlapping in its deployment of legal resources to defend voting rights.
• Issue One: A cross-partisan nonprofit focused on reforming political institutions, protecting elections, and reducing the influence of money in politics. Highly comparable to States United in its nonpartisan posture, election-protection focus, and federal-level advocacy work.
• Protect Democracy: A nonpartisan nonprofit that defends American democracy through legal expertise, research, and advocacy, including amicus briefs and litigation support. Operates in the same democracy-protection niche as States United with a comparable mix of legal, research, and policy support, although it focuses more heavily on federal-level threats.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/statesunited
• Facebookfacebook.com/statesunited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about States United Democracy Center