Derived from the Ancient Greek ψῆφος (psêphos), meaning “pebble”, Psephos refers to the method of democratic voting in Ancient Greece, where citizens dropped black and white stones into urns.
Our Future,
Our Choice
Psephos Inc is a 501c3 California non-profit organization founded in 2008 to promote and defend democracy in the United States.
The founders and members of Psephos - past and present - have always been motived by a desire to protect democracy and harvest its fruits: a more just and equitable world, enhanced human rights and environmental protections for a sustainable future.
Today Psephos Inc is responding to our changing world by working at the intersection of democracy, social justice and climate justice.
Election Defense
From 2013 to 2021, Psephos operated the National Election Defense Coalition (NEDC), organizing a bipartisan coalition to promote reforms to the voting technology and elections processes in the United States.
NEDC advocated for greater transparency in our voting processes, educating the public and elections officials on the dangers of unverifiable paperless electronic voting, and the need for stringent public audits with voter-marked paper ballots.
With national coalition partners, NEDC spearheaded an effective grass tops movement that succeeded in garnering approximately $2 billion from Congress and the States to overhaul election security.
Thanks to this work, the 2020 election was able to be verified and the results confirmed in multiple states where the vote count was disputed.
Climate Justice
In 2021, Psephos Inc officially expanded our mission from protection of elections and democracy protection to include social and climate justice.
As climate change accelerates, the most vulnerable in global society are feeling the impacts first. Psephos advocates climate mitigation strategies that prioritize empowerment of vulnerable communities to equitably access resources, reverse desertification, protect community food production, and repair ecosystems. We are particularly concerned with climate-driven migration at the US-Mexico border.
In 2023, Psephos began partnering with the Tikkun Eco Center, a project of the Center for Ecological and Economic Sustainability, located in the central highlands of Mexico in the world historic heritage city of San Miguel de Allende.
Tikkun was founded by Psephos directors Ben Ptashnik and Victoria Collier. Tikkun works to promote replicable and scaleable water and food security projects in the state of Guanajuato, which has the second highest rate of migration to the US border.
Tikkun also promotes cross-cultural service learning education with US and Mexican high schools and universities.