2019 Fellow

Kat Calvin

A lawyer and social entrepreneur, Kat Calvin is the founder of Spread The Vote, a nonprofit organization that helps people obtain the IDs they need for jobs, housing, medical care, every day life, and voting in voter ID states. Kat started STV after observing the results of local, state, and national elections without the full protection of the Voting Rights Act, and especially the many new voter ID laws that prevented millions of Americans from voting. Her work is fueled by the knowledge that the ID Spread The Vote obtains will also help these voters have access to jobs, housing, medical care, and much more.

Along with Spread The Vote, Kat is an advisor to Ragtag, and writes about politics and how liberals can do better.

Kat is one of the 2018 Fast Company 100 Most Creative People in Business and has been a Business Insider 30 Under 30, The Grio 100, and more. Kat has been featured on PBS’s To The Contrary, BET’s Black History Month profiles, has been a guest commentator on Sirius XM, and has been featured in numerous print and digital outlets.

Kat attended Mount Holyoke College and the University of Michigan Law School. She is an Army brat mostly from Seattle and Sierra Vista, AZ and currently lives in Los Angeles.

Project Description

Spread The Vote obtains government-issued photo IDs for eligible voters. We are building a scaleable and sustainable way to help voters get the IDs they need for job, housing, voting, and more 365 days a year PLUS election day.