Building Votes

Building Votes is the non-profit, non-partisan voter registration arm of the Bus Project. It aims to assist citizens under 30 years old to register and vote and to educate themselves about issues and politics. In the 2006 election cycle, Building Votes registered 20,000 new voters in Oregon, increasing the size of the overall under-30 electorate in Oregon by 6%.

Trick-Or-Vote

Trick or Vote, the Halloween canvass, witnessed a turnout of over 800 people to volunteer for half a day in 2004, and over 500 people for the mid-term election in 2006. A mass costume canvass to get out the vote is followed by an evening of entertainment and music, the Trick-or-Vote canvass has been replicated by other organizations from Montana to Florida.

PolitiCorps

During the summer of 2005, the Bus Project Fellowship Program, PolitiCorps was launched, providing unique opportunities for 13 college students and recent graduates, and featuring a curriculum of over 50 speakers from across the political spectrum. The following summer, the program expanded to 22 fellows and in 2007 it was expanded to its current size of 24 fellows.

PolitiCorps is a political immersion program that provides future leaders with skills training, policy courses, and intensive fieldwork. These courses include campaign management training, public speaking and debate, political messaging and media courses, and more. Fellows spend a significant amount of their time conducting fieldwork with partner programs, directly impacting state and local races by working to increase urban youth voter registration and participating and organizing Bus trips to swing districts to canvass for progressive candidates. The program seeks to educate fellows on the intricacies of state politics, using Oregon as a model. In addition, it is designed to take these lessons and connect them to the national arena.

"Vote, F*cker"

The "Vote, F*cker" T-shirts have received national media attention in numerous newspapers and magazines. The shirts were first created in response to an Urban Outfitter shirt with the slogan "Voting is for Old People".

Bus Project Slogans

• Not left, not right, but forward.
• Volunteer.
• Engage. Educate. Elect.
• Exact Change
• Vote, F*cker!
• Trick or Vote!
• Making politics fun again
• Get on the Bus!
• We're not just asking people to vote, we're asking them to change the world
• Smart and Funny is better than stupid and boring. But if you have to pick, stupid is better than boring

Legal status

The Bus comprises three organizations, each of which operates under a different section of U.S. and state tax and election laws:

1. The Bus Project, a 501(c)(4) organization, primarily focuses on education and advocacy on important statewide issues. Under U.S. tax laws, a 501(c)(4) organization can engage in lobbying for legislative change but is not allowed to intervene in political campaigns in support of or opposition to any candidate for public office.
2. BusPAC, an Oregon state PAC, primarily helps members elect candidates who reflect the organization's progressive values. Unlike 501(c)(4) organizations, PACs are allowed to directly support individual candidates.
3. The Oregon Progress Forum, a 501(c)(3) organization, registers young voters.