RNC Attacks Nonprofit’s Voting Registration Efforts in Swing States

The Republican National Committee (RNC) sent letters to the secretaries of six swing states, urging them to monitor Vot-ER, a civic health organization helping to register voters in healthcare settings. 

The letters, first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, were sent on Tuesday to the secretaries of state of Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and accuse the nonpartisan Vot-ER of “weaponizing the healthcare system… across the nation for partisan political purposes.” The letters “strongly urge” each secretary of state “to monitor Vot-ER’s activity in your state to ensure its compliance with state and federal law and to safeguard the integrity of your elections.”

The RNC’s letters claim that Vot-ER is working covertly to get “healthcare workers to push voter registration materials on their patients via Vot-ER’s provided scripts and resources, turning every check-up and doctor’s visit into a political lecture.” 

Founded in 2020 by Dr. Alister Martin, an emergency room physician in Massachusetts, Vot-ER describes itself as a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that partners with healthcare professionals to integrate “nonpartisan civic engagement into healthcare settings.” Vot-ER partners with dozens of healthcare organizations and facilities across the country — like the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia — to help register voters and promote civic participation. The group emphasizes that all of their efforts are compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). 

“Our work is centered on empowering health professionals and patients — many of whom face significant barriers to civic participation — by giving them an opportunity to register to vote if they choose, without any pressure or influence,” Aliya Bhatia, Vot-ER’s executive director, said in an email to Democracy Docket. “The American Medical Association, among other respected organizations, has named voting a social determinant of health — and we simply want to make sure that the health care community can have their voices heard in the policies that shape health outcomes in America.”

But that hasn’t stopped the RNC from attacking Vot-ER’s efforts and falsely accusing them of partisan electioneering. “Even a cursory look behind the curtain reveals the partisan motivations behind Vot-ER’s initiatives,” the RNC’s letter reads. “It is run by activists aligned with progressive causes and organizations and is funded in no small part by dark money groups managed by the left-wing Arabella Advisors,” the letter reads, referencing a for-profit political and nonprofit consulting company.

“It’s disheartening to see this unwarranted attack on nonpartisan civic engagement, especially as our bipartisan advisory board provides guidance to ensure we maintain the highest standards of fairness and integrity,” Bhatia said.

Bhatia pushed back on the accusations made by the RNC, emphasizing that Vot-ER “does not promote or endorse any political party or candidate” and simply provides patients with neutral tools to register to vote, should they wish to. Vot-ER trains medical professionals to offer voting resources without engaging in political or partisan conversations, and participation from patients is entirely voluntary, Bhatia emphasized.

Vot-ER’s efforts to register voters also came under attack recently from U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who sent a letter on Aug. 20 to the organization, falsely accusing them of illegally registering noncitizens to vote in the upcoming election. “Vot-ER has actively worked against efforts to ensure non-citizens do not illegally register to vote in federal elections,” the letter reads. 

“We have protocols and technology in place to prevent ineligible individuals from registering, and any suggestion otherwise is simply false,” Bhatia told Democracy Docket.

Roy’s letter is an example of the GOP’s recent push to spread the myth of noncitizen voting ahead of the November election. Despite the growing chorus from the right on the threat of noncitizens voting, numerous analyses and studies found that instances of noncitizen voting are extremely rare. 

“It’s unfortunate and frankly a shame that our nonpartisan efforts to promote civic engagement are coming under unwarranted scrutiny,” Bhatia said. “Voter registration is one of the most frequently mentioned barriers to voting, and many elections officials are looking for new & efficient ways to keep their state’s voter registration information up to date. Vot-ER has always been clear in its mission to remain nonpartisan, and we are guided by a bipartisan advisory board, including Republican & Democratic former elections officials, to  ensure that our work reflects the needs and concerns of all voters, regardless of political affiliation.”