In 2020, as we all waited anxiously to see how the election would turn out, one thing became clear: there would be a runoff in Georgia for two senate seats, and those seats would decide control of the senate. Bree Bridges (one half of Kit Rocha) nervously texted Courtney Milan and said, “I’m thinking about doing an auction for the runoffs.”

Within 24 hours they had a website, a twitter account, and an ActBlue page. Within 48 hours they also had $50,000 in advance donations and hundreds of authors, crafters, scientists, and experts agreeing to contribute their books, their artwork, their time, and their energy.

The Romancing the Runoff auction launched with 1,000 items up for grabs and pulled in almost $500,000 before it was over. All money went to Fair Fight, Black Voters Matter, and the New Georgia Project. Those grassroots organizations on the ground used that money for good, and Georgia tipped the senate blue.

In 2022 we returned, now focused on our new mission: to support organizations that help fight voter suppression. We do not raise money for candidates or parties. We find grass roots organizations who know the barriers in place in their local communities, and we send them what they need most: cash, to get their work done.

With our second auction in 2022 and our third in 2024, we brought our total raised to over $1,000,000. And we’re not stopping now. We have already seen tremendous efforts to make voting harder for people in 2026. Our goal is to organize the creatives in our various communities and raise money for the people on the ground who will help voters make their voices heard.

Romancing the Vote was founded by romance authors and a wonderful group of volunteers made up of both romance authors and romance readers. Romancelandia (our name for the community that bonds online over their shared love of romance novels) has a long history of activism. We believe in hope in the face of darkness and fighting for the happy endings we want to see in our world.

However, this auction has always included many friends beyond just the romance community. Over the years we have had amazing contributions from video game designers, Hollywood screenwriters, scientists, comic book artists, musicians, crafters, 3D printing enthusiasts, experts, and authors & readers from all genres.

Everyone is welcome to join us!