​The Hometown Project​ inspires voter turnout in local elections and helps elect progressive local candidates by connecting well-known actors, musicians and athletes, called ​Hometown Energizers​, with candidates and campaigns in their hometowns. Together, we seek to elevate the message of local campaigns and motivate voter turnout in local elections where a few hundred votes can make a big difference.

The overall goal is to provide an elevated platform in hometowns across America so that exciting local candidates have access to and can connect with a larger community. The Hometown Project helps garner an expanded audience for candidates, translating to greater name identification, candidate recognition and higher voter turnout.

This dynamic forum brings more candidates and constituents together and is a means to build an informed and educated electorate in each and every election. 

The Need

We have seen the consequences so clearly. Local elected officials – state legislators, school boards, city councils – are making decisions that impact our daily lives far more than what happens in DC. In a society where many state and local elections are often overlooked and underfunded, some candidates may be receiving a massive influx of money from SuperPACs with an anti-democratic national agenda. Due to gerrymandering and other voter suppression initiatives, rural and suburban areas of the country can be besieged by these forces. The result is that local voices across the political spectrum are overwhelmed. Local candidates need an elevated platform to amplify their local needs, goals and priorities.   

The Hometown Outreach Fund has created an exciting innovation in reaching local voters and volunteers by utilizing celebrities in their hometowns and home states to actively engage voters, elevating the message of state and local campaigns and initiatives. Our theory of change is that this localized approach to influencer engagement has important value in down-ballot elections, where turnout is historically low and small margins determine the outcomes of elections, and that this strategy is effective in both educating voters as well as increasing voter turnout.

Mission And Concept

The Hometown Project seeks to bring positive energy to the local campaigns by strategically working with community leaders and enhancing their reach by introducing them to Hometown Energizers.  Hometown Energizers are notable individuals, celebrities, who hail from the community and who evoke a certain sense of pride. The Hometown Project works with local partner organizations, leaders and candidates to identify individuals who are excited to return to their hometowns to bring attention to local issues in a meaningful way. 

We work with national and regional partners like Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Lead Locally and Run for Something, in addition to state tables and parties, to help identity and align key candidates and districts with Energizers to advocate for causes and candidates both online and in person. These cultural leaders may endorse issues or promote local candidates running for city council, school board, state legislature, and more. This unique approach garners an expanded audience for candidates that can really make a difference in small races that are often decided by a small number of votes.

Campaigns and candidateS

The Hometown Project and our electoral partners elevate the platforms of progressive, diverse candidates who are connected to their communities and have a proven record of constructive, positive work within their districts. We are promoting candidates who we believe will work on behalf of their community to seek solutions to help all of their constituents, and not to serve the interests of national organizations and agendas. We make a dedicated effort to ensure diversity of our candidates from many perspectives including gender, age, and ethnicity. Our goal is to ensure that our candidates are informed, balanced representatives and reflections of the community they serve.

2024 GOALS

We continue our momentum in this 2024 election year with a focus on important state legislative races and local seats including sheriffs and school board races will also be supported by our efforts.

Our multi-state plan will also include non-partisan initiatives to mobilize and inform voters in important swing states around issues like early voting, poll locations and voter access.

As we lay the groundwork for 2024, we will continue to build on our state based work which will likely encompass voter turnout initiatives in Arizona, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas.