The ACLU Voter Education Fund is a left-of-center super PAC affiliated with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that conducted voter outreach during the 2024 election cycle. The committee targeted issues, including abortion access and election administration, allocating funds for political advertising and canvassing to boost Democratic candidates. It raised nearly $7 million, primarily from high-net-worth individuals and left-leaning political entities, and disbursed over $5 million on operational and expenditure activities, spending over $1 million in independent expenditures targeting Republicans. ^{1 2 3} Significant donors to the PAC in 2024 included Democracy PAC, Pierre Omidyar, and Deborah Simon. ⁴

Background

The ACLU Voter Education Fund was established in March 2024 as a federal super PAC to advance the American Civil Liberties Union‘s election-related initiatives with an emphasis on abortion access and election administration policy, with the goal of targeting Republican candidates during the 2024 election cycle. The ACLU stated that the organization itself remained technically nonpartisan but that the “ACLU Voter Education Fund will ensure voters are aware of candidates’ positions on key issues so they can vote for their rights.” The group also stated that “The ACLU was compelled to create this fund because of critical issues on the ballot this election — like abortion rights, voting rights, and for the future of democracy.” ¹

The PAC supported left-of-center voter engagement through media buys, door-to-door efforts, and informational campaigns in battleground states. In August 2024, it committed $1.75 million to a joint effort with the ACLU of Wisconsin for outreach in U.S. Senate and state assembly contests. By late 2024, the committee had disclosed independent expenditures totaling $1,003,478, all of which targeted Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde. ^{5 6 7 8}

The fund’s activities were part of a larger ACLU commitment to spend over $25 million on the 2024 election with the ACLU Voter Education Fund engaging in state Supreme Court races in Michigan, Montana, and Ohio, as well as supporting “pro-civil liberty majorities in state legislatures, including Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin.” ⁹

Funding

The ACLU Voter Education Fund was funded by Democratic megadonors and left-of-center organizations during the 2024 cycle. The PAC raised a total of $6.8 million during the 2024 election, of which $5.2 million came from just four contributors: eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, Democratic megadonor and shopping mall heiress Deborah Simon, Lisa Norton-Motulsky, and Democracy PAC, each of whom donated at least $1 million to the PAC. ⁴

Other donors included the American Civil Liberties Union, Charles and Merryl Zegar, and Quinn Delaney. ⁴

1. “The ACLU Voter Education Fund.” American Civil Liberties Union. Accessed December 1, 2025. https://www.aclu.org/campaigns-initiatives/the-aclu-voter-education-fund.
2. “ACLU VOTER EDUCATION FUND – Committee Overview.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed December 1, 2025. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00872655/?cycle=2024.
3. “PAC Profile: ACLU Voter Education Fund.” OpenSecrets. Accessed December 1, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/aclu-voter-education-fund/C00872655/summary/2024.
4. “Organizations Disclosing Donations to ACLU Voter Education Fund, 2024.” OpenSecrets. Accessed December 1, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2024?cmte=C00872655&tab=donors_all
5. “ACLU Voter Education Fund Outside Spending.” OpenSecrets. Accessed December 1, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2024?cmte=C00872655.
6. “ACLU, ACLU Voter Education Fund, ACLU of Wisconsin Launch $1.75 Million Voter Education Campaign for U.S. Senate and State Legislative Races.” American Civil Liberties Union. August 5, 2024. Accessed December 1, 2025. https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-aclu-voter-education-fund-aclu-of-wisconsin-launch-1-75-million-voter-education-campaign-for-u-s-senate-and-state-legislative-races.
7. “Expenditures by ACLU Voter Education Fund, 2024.” OpenSecrets. Accessed December 1, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2024?cmte=C00872655&tab=expenditures.
8. “Targeted Candidates: ACLU Voter Education Fund.” OpenSecrets. Accessed December 1, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2024?cmte=C00872655&tab=targeted_candidates
9. “ACLU Launches 2024 Election Push to Protect Abortion and Voting Rights.” American Civil Liberties Union. June 5, 2024. Accessed December 1, 2025. https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-launches-2024-election-push-to-protect-abortion-and-voting-rights.