In 2024, Asian American’s Rise ran the largest AAPI voter registration drive in U.S. history — and we did it cost-effectively, at scale, and with results independently verified by a third party.
Rise Forward Foundation was founded to scale that proven model to all communities of color in key locations across the country.
Across 8 battleground states, we reached over 300,000 households with a simple, modern approach: a pre-filled registration form in the mail, followed by three text message reminders.
We have the formula.
Now we need the fuel.
Our impact
51,274
voters registered
33,864
voted in 2024
2 districts
Registered more than margin of victory
How we do it
Removing friction at every step
The single biggest barrier to voter registration isn't motivation. It's friction. Most people don't register because the process is confusing, the deadlines are buried, and in some states, people have never been asked.
So we remove the friction:
The voter gets a piece of direct mail with their registration form already filled in if compliant in that state. A prepaid return envelope. Clear instructions. Three text follow-ups to confirm receipt and encourage completion.
Where eligible, we help them convert to vote-by-mail so their ballot arrives 30 days before Election Day — turning the ballot itself into the reminder to vote.
Solid data, not guesswork
Most voter registration programs are site-based — tabling at events, college campuses, or community centers — because they lack the rigorous data to know who actually isn't registered and how to reach them. It helps but is expensive and slow.
We start with public records. We build our target lists from government voter files, FOIA requests, and Civitech's data pipeline — identifying eligible but unregistered voters. We then layer in demographic and behavioral data to prioritize the people most likely to register and vote when given a clear path.
No guessing.
We know exactly who we're reaching before the first piece of mail goes out.
Collaborative, not competitive
Voter registration isn't a zero-sum game. There are tens of millions of eligible Americans who aren't registered, and no single organization can reach them alone.
We work closely with a growing coalition of community organizations across the country.
We are open source. We share our methodology, our data, and our learnings — because the goal isn't to own the playbook. It's to make sure more people vote.
If our model can be improved, we want to know. If someone else can do it cheaper, we'll fund them.
scientifically Proven impact
Most programs report what they did. We report the impact.
Our 2024 program was independently evaluated by Civitech through a randomized controlled trial — the same gold-standard methodology used in medical research.
A matched control group was excluded from outreach to establish baseline behavior. In tech, this is called A/B testing. The difference between the two groups is what we count.
The results: 51,274 people registered.
More registrations = More votes.
why this matters
In 2024, this approach registered 51,274 voters across 8 states and 12 congressional districts. 33,864 of them voted. In 2 congressional races, our registrations exceeded the margin of victory.
A voter registered today doesn't just vote in 2026. They vote in 2028, and every cycle after. Every $10 we raise puts another eligible American on the rolls — and another voice in the room when decisions get made about healthcare, housing, education, and the future of our democracy.
Contact us
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