FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2024
Contact: Gaby Huerta, Director of Strategic Communications
info@newpaprojecteducationfund.org
Quality Control Works and Election System Remains Secure
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – In response to the announcement by Delaware County prosecutors of charges against a former New PA Project Education Fund (NPPEF) staffer, CEO, Kadida Kenner made the following statement:
The New PA Project Education Fund (NPPEF) is a non-partisan voting rights organization led by community leaders across the Commonwealth dedicated to centering underrepresented and underserved communities to embrace their power.
At this moment, there are more than 1.2 million Pennsylvanians who are eligible to vote but not registered. This is an institutional failure that speaks to the need for more civic engagement and education in the community. For more than three years NPPEF has been a constant presence in neighborhoods that need to be engaged the most. We’ve assisted tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians in understanding the voter registration process, which can be complicated to navigate, especially for our centered communities. Getting registered to vote is not the easiest, especially for those with busy lives. Pennsylvania lacks true automatic voter registration, same-day voting and true early voting in the Commonwealth. Therefore, our organization will assist any eligible Pennsylvanian needing guidance with registering to vote. Two weeks following the presidential election, we returned to the ground, navigating the weather and overcoming post-election voter apathy to assist Pennsylvanians in registering to vote for the upcoming 2025 municipal, judicial and local elections.
As an organization, we are so much more than just our voter registration program.
NPPEF provides civic education at community events, local businesses, churches, college campuses, and universities, and digitally through bi-weekly eBlasts and social media. This year we hosted more than 200 virtual and in-person community events including candidate forums, town halls, community conversations, voter registration drives, and webinars.
We are proud of our voter registration efforts.
As a non-partisan organization, our year-round voter registration efforts are not directed, in coordination, or aligned with any political party or candidate. Our registration efforts are not and will never be dictated by an election cycle. What makes our organization unique is that we conduct civic engagement efforts year-round. NPPEF’s 2024 voter registration program assisted 9,960 Pennsylvanians in registering to vote. Of those 9,960 applicants, 48% chose to register as Democrats, 18% as Republicans, and 34% as unaffiliated/no party designated or third party.
And that’s not all. We also work hard to protect the right to vote in PA. In 2024, New PA Project Education Fund joined the ACLU of Pennsylvania, Public Interest Law Center, and other pro-voter organizations in a lawsuit to demand an end to the disqualification of mail-in ballots for inconsequential dating errors.
In February, we acquired the Why Courts Matter – PA campaign, an advocacy project seeking to protect the independence of our state and federal courts and educate the electorate about their importance. Since then, we have created/presented court educational materials at community engagement events.
We are also a second-chance organization.
As a second-chance organization we hire, coach and mentor staff members who are formerly incarcerated, experiencing mental health issues and potentially in recovery. We believe that individuals with various lived experiences make some of the most trusted messengers in the communities we center. Our staff have shown tireless dedication and commitment to engaging historically disenfranchised communities in Pennsylvania and ensuring eligible voters feel compelled to exercise their freedom to vote in the Commonwealth.
NPPEF does not provide financial incentives or bonuses to staff or volunteers for voter registration application collection. Our employees and volunteers have no quota to meet, and hourly wages paid to canvassing employees remain the same no matter the number of voter registration applications collected.
The allegations are heartbreaking.
The allegations made against a former part-time staff member who allegedly attempted to register ineligible people to vote is heartbreaking to say the least. Our organization has operated with the utmost integrity since our founding because we believe in the electoral process. As a pro-democracy organization, we want our communities to believe in the electoral process. And we still believe that the process works, and our election systems remain secure. Internally, we have a robust quality control department that works tirelessly to provide training to our canvassers and monitor our processes to ensure we aren’t the problem we seek to overcome.
Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Department of State informed the New PA Project Education Fund (NPPEF) about potential issues regarding attempted voter registration by one of our former canvassers working in Delaware County.
Immediately upon being notified of the potential issues, we suspended the staff member pending investigation. An internal investigation was launched, and NPPEF paused our entire voter registration program pending the outcome of our investigation. Following our internal review – and a review by the Department of State – NPPEF was able to resume our non-partisan voter registration program. Additionally, following review, the staff member who submitted the applications in question was terminated.
The announcement from the Delaware County District Attorney is proof that the multiple layers of internal and external quality control operate with integrity at both the New PA Project Education Fund, the Department of State, and local law enforcement. Due to the hard work of many individuals to prevent disruptive actions by bad actors, our voting rolls and elections are secure, and no fraudulent ballots were cast.
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The New PA Project Education Fund (NPPEF) is a non-partisan organization led by community leaders across the Commonwealth dedicated to centering underrepresented and underserved communities to embrace their power. NPPEF ensures full participation in the democratic process through civic education and year-round engagement by centering Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrant communities and the youth, with intention, as they are the least represented and most impacted by decisions our government is making.
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