The National Civic League is joining forces with Local Policy Lab and Spread the Vote to help build the next chapter of American democracy. Together with our existing programs, Civic Genius and the Center for Democracy Innovation, we are creating a unified organization (under our name) that will help strengthen democracy in communities nationwide.
With U.S. democracy facing increasing threats from multiple factors, one solution is addressing issues at the local level through democracy innovations and inclusive civic engagement. By aligning technical rigor with national reach, the National Civic League is building community capacity to increase trust, equity, and collective work to address civic matters.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, local governments were focused largely on service delivery, not resident participation. Engagement was often episodic and disconnected from actual decision-making. Even now, millions of Americans remain excluded from full participation in civic and electoral life. The addition of Local Policy Lab and Spread the Vote enables the League to address both sides of this equation: redesigning how community decision-making works and broadening who participates in it.
Democracy depends on both effective institutions and engaged residents. By bringing these programs together under one organization, the League is building a comprehensive, depth-preserving approach to civic renewal, embedding resident voice into governance while ensuring equitable access to participation.
So, what do these new programs bring?
Local Policy Lab (LPL) brings a proven technical blueprint for embedding resident voice directly into the machinery of city government. In communities across the country, LPL has demonstrated that engagement can move from temporary initiative to codified civic infrastructure, capable of surviving leadership turnover and political cycles. Co-Founders Scott Warren and Peter Zahn have devoted many years toward making LPL an impactful organization, and the League has partnered with LPL on several projects in the past.
Now, in partnership with the League, the proof of concept created by LPL can scale further and connect with the League’s audience. Our All-America City platform, longstanding relationships with local governments, and cross-sector credibility provide the engine to move inclusive governance from isolated breakthroughs to universal practice. Together, we are aligning deep technical expertise with national adoption capacity.
For nearly a decade, Spread the Vote (STV) has helped thousands of Americans—especially those too often excluded—secure identification, register, and participate in elections. Their work ensures that access to the ballot is not theoretical, but real and tangible. Founder Kat Calvin has nurtured STV for years and brought on a terrific staff.
Bringing Spread the Vote into the League creates a powerful continuum: from access to participation to institutional voice. Voters supported by Spread the Vote can move from the ballot box into sustained civic engagement through the League’s programs. This is not an expansion away from our mission, it is a deepening of it, ensuring that participation does not end on Election Day.
From Innovation to Infrastructure
These new programs are not about organizational growth for its own sake; they’re about durability and collective effectiveness. Local Policy Lab has proven that inclusive governance can be embedded into law, budget, and professional roles. Spread the Vote has proven that participation gaps can be closed through targeted, high-impact intervention. The League provides the stable institutional home and national platform to ensure that both models move from demonstration to normalization.
At a moment when democracy requires renewed investment and leadership, the National Civic League is stepping forward to help ensure that inclusive governance becomes not the exception, but the expectation.
We invite you to meet our new colleagues, learn more about the work of Local Policy Lab and Spread the Vote, and join us in building this next chapter.
