Progressive philanthropy group raising $59 million for mail-in vote effort aimed at minority voters

A nonprofit branch of the fundraising network Way to Win is working with George Soros' Open Society, the Ford Foundation, and several other charitable organizations to launch a $59 million campaign to encourage people of color to vote by mail in November.

Way to Win has already donated $50 million this presidential cycle, primarily to efforts in battleground states including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina. 

Despite the popularity of voting by mail among elderly voters, who account for a sizable portion of the Republican electorate, some Republicans fear that a significant increase of absentee ballots could lead to an election that is more susceptible to fraud.

Way to Win was founded following the President Trump's victory in 2016. It is a progressive group, run and funded largely by a group of affluent Democratic women, who believe that black voters have been neglected when it comes to party outreach.

"It's critical that donors and the philanthropic sector step up" to "correct a huge gap in philanthropic funding among communities of color," said Susan Pritzker, a member of the group and the notable Chicago-based Democratic family.

Way to Win is trying to channel the energy from the recent, nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd while in police custody.