2025 ANNUAL REPORT

1) Our Organization 

 

Souls to the Polls Wisconsin (STTP) is a faith-based civic engagement project of Pastors United Community  Advocacy Inc, a 501c3 non-profit and nonpartisan voter education and advocacy organization. Since our founding in 2013, STTP has built an alliance of faith leaders and churchgoers from over 450 Milwaukee-based congregations who are determined to strengthen the collective voting power of their Black and Brown communities. The importance of voting is communicated through advocacy, live events, press conferences, social media, voting materials and group educational trainings. Information shared has included key election dates, polling locations, voting processes, voter ID laws, referendums and other valuable knowledge. STTP knows that engaged voters are key to pressing state and local policy makers on community-centered issues like affordable housing, education, economic development, gun violence, and government transparency.

 

2) Our Vision 

 

Our civic engagement and voter education activities have transformed traditional voter outreach into a dynamic,  people-centered movement rooted in education, empowerment, and consistent year-round engagement. Through  neighborhood events, one-on-one conversations, community forums, and strategic partnerships, we’ve educated voters  on the issues that directly impact their lives—such as housing, healthcare, public safety, and economic opportunity— while distributing printed materials that clearly outline candidate positions and ballot initiatives. These efforts not only  demystify the voting process but help residents make the connection between their daily struggles and the power of the  ballot. From doorsteps to church pews, barbershops to block parties, our team has increased community participation,  inspired deeper civic awareness, and brought thousands of people into conversations about what truly matters to them. 

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We have been effective in moving beyond transactional politics. We are cultivating community-based ambassadors  who don’t just vote but actively help others understand how to vote their interests. Our outreach has helped individuals  identify their own power, connect with their neighbors, and transform from disengaged bystanders into informed  advocates. As we look to the 2025–26 election cycles, our goal is to deepen and expand this work—amplifying  everyday voices, turning lived experiences into political agendas, and helping communities reclaim the right to self determination through collective action. This is more than just mobilization—it’s a movement to ensure that civic  engagement becomes a tool for real, lasting change. 

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3) Election Analysis 

During the November 5, 2024 Presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, Wisconsin was  1 of 7 key battleground states in America and that competitive race drove public engagement about candidates  and voting in Wisconsin to an all-time high. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a political tracking  study proved:

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“Milwaukee saw the highest voter turnout of the 50 largest U.S. cities in 2024…More than  85% of registered voters in Milwaukee cast their votes in the November election. In contrast,  the country's four largest cities all saw less than 70% turnout among registered voters.”

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That record-breaking public engagement and voting participation in Wisconsin carried into the 4/1/25  Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice race between Judge Brad Schimel (schimelforjustice.com) and Judge Susan  Crawford (crawfordforwi.com) that determined the ideological leaning of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. At  the same time in 2024 & 2025 Wisconsin had an unprecedented amount of money being spent by donors to  influence the outcome of the Wisconsin elections. According to the 5/12/25 article produced by the Badger  Project, a nonpartisan investigative journalism organization,  

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“before 2015, the total any single person, billionaire or not, could have given in annual  political donations in Wisconsin was just $10,000.”

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Yet, in 2025, billionaire Elon Musk personally spent over $20 million dollars to support Judge Brad Schimel in  the WI Supreme Court race sparking hope by some and outrage by others. According to WisPolitics, 

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“The amount of money spent on the 4/1/25 WI Supreme Court Race between Susan  Crawford & Brad Schimel exceeded more than $76 million, breaking the state record  of $51 million set in a similar [Supreme Court Justice] race in 2023.” 

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Despite the changes in Wisconsin campaign finance and lobbying laws that has allowed extraordinary amounts of money to flow into Wisconsin politics, STTP, combined with our partner organizations, played a critical  role in people-powered grassroots organizing to motivate Wisconsinites to vote. Faith leaders, churchgoers,  and neighbors impacted results by educating the public and stressing the importance of voting – especially in Black communities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. According to CNN.com and Fox6News.com, 

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“This often word-of-mouth grassroots community effort contributed to Milwaukee’s  voter turnout, reaching 55% of the registered voters – a rate that outpaced the statewide  average by three points and exceeded the 2025 Supreme Court race turnout by ten  percentage points.” 

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These results are a testament to the power of well-respected community leaders, effective communications, impactful diverse partnerships, prepared volunteers and a desire for social justice in Black and Brown  communities in Wisconsin. We are proud to have contributed to this extraordinary voter engagement and  election turnout in Wisconsin. 

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4) Community Organizing Goals 
 

STTP’s plans for 2025 included an effective mobilization strategy that combined many traditional and  contemporary community organizing efforts into a dynamic action plan. The 2025 efforts built upon the unique  lessons learned from ten years of community organizing practices, working under difficult conditions  including facing aggressive voter suppression efforts and unprecedented amounts of money being spent in Wisconsin elections. The funding received from various organizations helped our team empower and improve  our capacity to increase voting in target communities in the cities of Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Kenosha,  Green Bay, Appleton and Oshkosh.  

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• Community Partnerships – Collaborate with other nonpartisan groups to spread information and co-host events • Church Mobilization – Activate 450+ Church leaders and ambassadors in Milwaukee (53216, 53210, 53208 & 53206) • 100 Women On The Move – Dispatch an interfaith coalition of Milwaukee-based women dedicated to GOTV • Voter Education Events – Provide election and voter training for Church leaders and community groups  • Canvassing – Door to door outreach to voters who live near the Capitol Drive Voting Center (6001 W. Capitol Dr.) • Phone Banking Program – Virtual phone banking program designed to increase voter turnout 
   

• Postcards to Voters Program – Volunteers mailed 10-20K postcards to Milwaukee residents reminding them to vote • Relational Organizing – Empowering community members to call and text their friends and families to vote • Free Rides to the Polls – A fleet of STTP volunteer drivers transport voters to their designated polling sites • MATC Student Voter Project – Encourage MATC students to vote at the election site on campus • Early Voting Events – Generate public awareness and excitement through early voting events, such as, press events with  U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and buses from churches to the polls 
   

•  GOTV on Election Day – Joyful events, canvassing and phone banking to encourage voting
   

•  Communications – Public outreach through website, social media, video, radio, flyers, yard signs, t-shirts, hats, etc. 
   

• Fundraising – Solicit donations from foundations and individual donors via grants and Act Blue contribution
   

5) Community Groups

Souls to the Polls Wisconsin widens it’s impact by working with other like-minded organizations to build a  collective voter engagement footprint. These groups augmented and amplified the work being done by STTP:
 

All Voting Is Local 

NAACP of Wisconsin

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 (ATU) 

ONE Milwaukee

American Federation of Teachers Local 212 (MATC) 

Urban League of Wisconsin

Black Leadership Organizing Committee (BLOC) 

Redeemer Lutheran Church

Black Voters Matter (BVM) 

Service Employee International Union in WI (SEIU WI)

Center for Common Ground 

Southeast WI Baptist Council

Citizen Action 

State Voices

Disability Rights Coalition 

St. Gabriel God and Christ

Ex Incarcerated People Organizing (EXPO) 

St. Timothy Church Missionary Baptist Church

Fair Elections Center 

United Way

Jewish Community Resource Council 

Voces de La Frontera

League of Progressive Seniors 

Working Families Power

League of Women Voters 

Wisconsin Civic Power Table

Milwaukee Inter-city Congregation Allied for Hope (MICAH) 

100 Women On The Move

Milwaukee Muslim Civic Alliance
 

6) Church Mobilization  
 

The core mission of STTP is to collaborate with faith leaders and their congregations to explain how voting  impacts social policy in their local neighborhoods through the people they vote into public positions. Faith  leaders are typically trusted individuals who serve their congregations by guiding them to understand moral  principles and those ideas naturally extend to social services, social policies and social justice initiatives.  
 

During past election cycles, STTP has activated over 450 church leaders and ambassadors in Milwaukee  (53216, 53210, 53208 & 53206) to communicate election dates, voting processes and locations, and bipartisan  candidate information about the election. Both Rev Gregory Lewis, STTP Executive Director, and Anita  Johnson, STTP Voting Education Specialist & Community Outreach Manager, are instrumental in nurturing  and activating these important church-based relationships.  
 

In addition to serving as the religious leader of St. Gabriel God and Christ, Reverend Gregory Lewis facilitates  weekly meetings that bring together Wisconsin faith leaders to discuss their community concerns and how the  participating pastors can work together to provide solutions. Rev Lewis also speaks to the local community  through a monthly show on a gospel radio station that airs in Wisconsin. Also, inspired by Anita Johnson’s 100  Women On The Move program, Rev Lewis started a companion 100 Men On The Move group that aims to  introduce influential male volunteers to each other with the goal of increasing community empowerment, civic  engagement and unifying collective efforts. Rev Lewis typically serves as the primary spokesperson for STTP  by facilitating community outreach, speaking during live events and press conferences and attending  conferences and meetings. 
 

Anita Johnson is the point person for the community relationships she has built through the Church  Ambassadors Program, 100 Women on the Move, League of Progressive Seniors and other community  outreach. The Church Ambassadors Program is a network of volunteers from their respective churches who  have been trained by Anita to share STTP voter information with their local congregations. Similarly, 100  Women on the Move is an interfaith coalition of Milwaukee-based women volunteers dedicated to getting out  the vote in their communities. The League of Progressive Seniors consists of politically engaged volunteers  who can often cite numerous in-person community organizing efforts that can date back as far as the 1950’s.  

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