Atlanta, Georgia - The New Georgia Project – founded by politician, author, and voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams – has received a record fine in the state for illegal campaigning.

The State Ethics Commission of Georgia has fined the New Georgia Project $300,000 for illegally campaigning for Abrams and other Democrats back in 2018. The non-profit has agreed to pay the sum, putting an end to a five-year case.

The commission found the organization, led at the time by now-Senator Raphael Warnock, and its action fund had not properly disclosed their campaign contributions and $3.2 million in spending.

The New Georgia Project – known for its mass voter registration drives – admitted it had violated state law by concealing the fact it had campaigned for Abrams during her first gubernatorial run, including paying for fliers and door-to-door canvassers to encourage people to vote for her and other Democrats.

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Abrams narrowly lost the 2018 race for governor to Republican Brian Kemp by roughly 55,000 votes. She refused to concede the election because of rampant voter suppression in the state, including strict voter ID requirements and voter roll purges, that disproportionately targeted Georgians of color.

The former Georgia state representative threw her hat in the ring for governor again in 2022, once more losing out to Kemp.

Abrams founded the New Georgia Project in 2013. She later stepped back from any formal role in the nonprofit, with Warnock taking over the leadership until 2020, when he ran his successful campaign for US Senate.