Integrating the perspective of social science and legal research along with civil rights advocacy, the UCLA Voting Rights Project focuses on ensuring the right to vote is realized for every American.

The UCLA Voting Rights Project was founded in August 2018 by civil rights attorney Chad W. Dunn, J.D. and voting rights social science expert Matt Barreto, Ph.D. to address three significant and overlooked gaps in the voting rights field: training newly graduated, young lawyers and expert witnesses; developing new legal and social science theories for voting rights cases; and advancing voting rights through national and local public policy.

The UCLA Voting Rights Project’s goal is to help voters in towns, cities, and counties across the country access the ballot box. The focus on local communities as the first stop for voting rights litigation marks the UCLA VRP as a unique public-service project. We have helped communities in Yakima, Washington; New York State, California, and North Dakota rightfully gain political power.

UCLA Voting Rights Project (VRP) is focused on protecting the fundamental right to vote for Americans, especially those in communities that have been historically disinvested in and routinely disenfranchised.

The UCLA Voting Rights Project continuously brings litigation to defend every American’s right to vote. For more, read our filed complaints, motions and amicus briefs.

Join voting rights practitioners, expert witnesses, and legal scholars from around the country for sessions to workshop the substantial and procedural pathways to protecting the right to vote during the 21st century.

The UCLA Voting Rights Project seeks current law students committed to social justice for its 2023 Summer Legal Fellowship, a remote 10-week fellowship with select in-person professional development opportunities and special events.

Learn more about 2023 Summer Legal Fellowship and apply now.

Priority deadline: Monday, December 2, 2022 at 11:59pm PT.
Extended deadline: Friday, January 13, 2023 at 11:59pm PT.

If you have any inquiries about the Voting Rights Project or would like to notify us of a voting-related issue in your community please contact us.