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We are living through a historic time. If there was any doubt about that, 2024 set us straight. The onslaught of breaking news and world events, from incomprehensible disasters to horrific attacks to humanitarian crises, was relentless. And the backdrop to it all: the biggest election year in human history.

Over 3 billion people—more people than ever before—had the opportunity to cast ballots in 2024, many of whom were voting for the first time. Significant local elections, EU parliamentary elections, and over 70 national elections were held, in what the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) referred to as a global elections “super cycle.” 

We’ve seen a lot in the past thirteen years at NationBuilder, but nothing quite like this. As people from nearly every part of the world campaigned and organized, as they spoke up and mobilized their communities, as they got out the vote and helped millions of people make their voices heard, our work was to make sure those leaders had the infrastructure required to engage an unprecedented number of people. I’m incredibly proud of the round-the-clock work our extraordinary team and partners did to make that possible. 

In 2024, NationBuilder was used by campaigns, political parties, and advocacy efforts in a third of the world’s elections, powering voter engagement in 60 countries and reaching over 66 million people. From Bulgaria to Australia, from the Netherlands to the United States, people took action—and made history. In this Year in Review, you’ll read some of their inspiring stories, tales jam-packed with wisdom that will no doubt be helpful in the year to come. 

Because democracy is not just about voting. It’s about the daily practice of democracy, the ongoing, neverending effort to participate, to help, to show up for our communities. And in showing up for one another in the real, tangible ways we do in everyday life, we aren’t just strengthening our individual communities. We are strengthening the fabric of civil society that holds us—and is the foundation of democratic resilience. 

I recently read an interview with Jane Goodall where she said: Hope is about coordinated action with a variety of people. So to our incredible community: thank you for being some of the most fiercely hopeful people we know. It’s an honor to be a small part of what you are creating—and the history you are making.

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