What UpVote Virginia does

UpVote Virginia is a nonpartisan democracy reform nonprofit organization founded in 2022 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Its flagship mission is advancing the adoption of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) across the Commonwealth of Virginia through voter education, legislative advocacy, and grassroots organizing. The organization was launched with bipartisan speakers — Republican Governor George Allen and Democratic Congressman Don Beyer — signaling its nonpartisan positioning from inception.

UpVote Virginia operates a portfolio of integrated advocacy and education products rather than technology products. These include an RCV education and advocacy program, broader democracy reform resources covering redistricting, proportional representation, and civic engagement, a grassroots engagement platform (supporter signup, petitions, house parties, and local action groups), and a regularly updated blog/news feed. The organization runs a multi-channel advocacy operation: website content marketing, email newsletter, community events and webinars, public testimony at county boards and legislative bodies, and petition drives.

The organization is registered as both a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4) and is funded entirely through donations and contributions. Its business model is community-led grassroots organizing rather than product or service sales. It works with two principal customer segments: Virginia voters (for voter education) and Virginia localities (for RCV implementation support), with secondary engagement of political parties using RCV for primaries. UpVote Virginia has built a strategic coalition of partners including FairVote, League of Women Voters of Virginia, Arlington NAACP, Veterans for Political Innovation, RepresentUs, and Richmond Crusade for Voters. Documented policy wins include unanimous Arlington County Board RCV pilot passage (December 2022), Virginia's first publicly-run RCV primary in Arlington (June 2023), permanent RCV adoption in Arlington (December 2023), Charlottesville's RCV ordinance (August 2024), Fairfax County Democrats' RCV primary use (October 2025), and Virginia legislation making RCV a permanent local option (2026). The organization operates with approximately 6 employees led by Executive Director Liz White and Programs Director Tamara Allen.

Name

UpVote Virginia

Legal name

UpVote Virginia

Website

https://upvoteva.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UpVote Virginia is a nonpartisan democracy reform nonprofit founded in 2022 that advocates for Ranked Choice Voting adoption and broader electoral reform across Virginia through voter education, legislative lobbying, and grassroots organizing, serving Virginia voters, localities, and political parties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Election Reform Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI), Civic Literacy (Voting, Rights, Community Participation) (EDAAAAAH)

Keywords

• Ranked choice voting advocacy
• Voter education programs
• Democracy reform nonprofit
• Grassroots civic engagement
• Election reform lobbying

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: UpVote Virginia is a registered 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization. The organization raises funds through donations from supporters who believe in democracy reform. The organization also accepts donations through its website (upvoteva.org/donate).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UpVote Virginia is a nonpartisan democracy reform nonprofit that educates Virginia voters about Ranked Choice Voting and advocates for its adoption by local and state governments. It mobilizes supporters through grassroots organizing, coalition lobbying, petition drives, and public testimony, while providing educational resources on RCV, redistricting, proportional representation, voting rights restoration, and campaign finance reform.

Product overview

UpVote Virginia is a nonpartisan democracy reform organization that offers a suite of educational and advocacy products focused on elevating Virginia voter voices. The core offering centers on Ranked Choice Voting education and advocacy, complemented by broader democracy reform resources covering redistricting, civic engagement, and proportional representation. The organization provides grassroots engagement tools including supporter signup forms, petition platforms, and local action groups across Virginia localities. Additional offerings include educational blog content, press releases, and news coverage of democracy reform developments. The portfolio functions as an integrated advocacy and education ecosystem rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• FairVotecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFairVote is a nonpartisan democracy reform organization that serves as UpVote Virginia's key strategic partner for RCV research, data, and advocacy. FairVote President and CEO Meredith Sumpter has provided public testimony alongside UpVote Virginia Executive Director Liz White. FairVote provides exit polling data and analysis supporting RCV implementation.
• League of Women Voters of VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe League of Women Voters of Virginia is a key coalition partner in RCV advocacy efforts. Joan Porte, President of the League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City, has co-authored opinion pieces with Liz White and praised Arlington's RCV implementation.
• Arlington NAACPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Arlington NAACP is a coalition partner in voter education and RCV outreach efforts. They participated in the coalition of organizations advocating for Arlington's RCV pilot program and voter education initiatives.
• Veterans for Political InnovationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeterans for Political Innovation is a partner organization that co-hosts RCV information sessions with UpVote Virginia, including events in Albemarle and Charlottesville localities.
• UU the VotemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUU the Vote is a coalition partner in the RCV advocacy movement, part of the broad coalition that advocated for Arlington's RCV pilot program implementation.
• RepresentUsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresentUs is a nonpartisan organization focused on ending political corruption that partnered with UpVote Virginia on grassroots advocacy training webinars and RCV advocacy efforts.
• Arlington County Civic FederationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Arlington County Civic Federation was part of the coalition advocating for RCV adoption in Arlington County and supporting voter education efforts.
• Richmond Crusade for VotersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRichmond Crusade for Voters is a partner organization that co-authored a commentary with UpVote Virginia on participatory budgeting and RCV in Richmond.
• Metro Richmond League of Women VotersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetro Richmond League of Women Voters is a partner that co-authored commentary on RCV and civic engagement in Richmond alongside UpVote Virginia.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Common Cause: Established nonpartisan democracy reform organization with state chapters covering voting rights, redistricting, and election administration. Operates a much broader portfolio than UpVote Virginia but addresses overlapping issues including RCV support and voting rights.
• League of Women Voters (US): National nonpartisan civic organization with state and local affiliates (including LWV Virginia) that advocates for voter education and election reform. Broader in scope than UpVote Virginia but overlapping in voter education and advocacy mission.

Direct peers

• FairVote: National nonpartisan organization that is the leading U.S. advocate for Ranked Choice Voting and ranked-choice/instant-runoff voting reform. FairVote is UpVote Virginia's key strategic partner and operates the same RCV advocacy model at the national level, making it the most direct comparable.
• RepresentUs: Nonpartisan anti-corruption and election reform organization that promotes RCV along with broader democracy reforms including gerrymandering and campaign finance. RepresentUs is a listed coalition partner of UpVote Virginia and operates an overlapping advocacy and grassroots training model.
• Veterans for Political Innovation: Nonpartisan veterans-led organization advocating for election reform including RCV; co-hosts RCV information sessions with UpVote Virginia in Albemarle and Charlottesville. Direct coalition partner pursuing the same Virginia-locality RCV agenda.
• League of Women Voters of Virginia: State-level civic engagement and voter education organization and core coalition partner of UpVote Virginia. Shares the nonpartisan voter education mandate and co-publishes content with UpVote; comparable in mission and geographic scope.

Emerging players

• National Popular Vote: Nonpartisan organization advocating to elect the U.S. President by national popular vote through interstate compact. Operates the same state-by-state legislative advocacy model UpVote Virginia uses, though for a different electoral reform mechanism.
• Open Primaries: Nonpartisan advocacy organization promoting open and nonpartisan primary elections as an alternative to faction-driven nominations. Adjacent to UpVote Virginia's election reform agenda and shares grassroots advocacy and coalition-building tactics.
• Unite America: Nonpartisan election reform organization focused on RCV, open primaries, and ranked-choice reforms at state and local levels. Operates a similar model to UpVote Virginia but at multi-state scale, making it an emerging peer with overlapping mission and tactics.

Others

• IssueOne: Nonpartisan government reform organization focused on campaign finance, ethics, and money-in-politics reforms. Comparable in being a small advocacy nonprofit in the broader democracy reform ecosystem but operating in adjacent rather than directly overlapping issue areas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upvoteva

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 UpVote Virginia