The Culture of Democracy Tour will register,
educate and mobilize tens of thousands of voters in partnership
with the Roots Picnic, Lyft, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Dream
and more
WASHINGTON, May 23, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Today, When We All Vote launched the Culture
of Democracy Tour, a summer of action to register, educate and
engage thousands of voters and volunteers. The Culture of Democracy
Tour brings voting to popular culture through events, sweepstakes,
campaigns, voter registration drives and more in partnership with
the organization's thousands of volunteers and partners.
More than 200 partners have joined When We All Vote's Culture of
Democracy Collective — a network of leading national and community
organizations, including sports, corporate and entertainment
partners, committed to registering, educating and mobilizing
voters. Members include Essence, BET, Lyft, Girls Inc., NAACP Legal
Defense Fund, Global Black Economic Forum, Lime, the Divine Nine
National Pan-Hellenic Organizations, VoteRiders and the Executive
Leadership Council, as well as major sport teams like the Milwaukee
Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington
Mystics, New England Revolution, Houston Dynamo and more.
"At a time when fewer young people are identifying with
political parties, the work of nonpartisan organizations like When
We All Vote has never been more critical," said Beth Lynk, Executive Director of When We All
Vote. "Through the Culture of Democracy Tour this summer, we
will bring voting to the culture and meet voters where they are —
transforming how they view and participate in democracy and taking
this momentum to the biggest stop of all: the ballot box."
Culture of Democracy Tour
When We All Vote's Founder
and Co-Chair, Michelle Obama,
continues to be a trusted voice in the political space. She will
use her voice throughout the tour to engage eligible voters.
More than 40 million Gen Z'ers will be eligible to vote in
November, and almost half are people of color, including 8.8
million Latinos and 5.7 million Black youth. 71 percent of the
people who registered with When We All Vote in 2020 were young
people and people of color, with a turnout rate of 83 percent —
surpassing the national average by nearly 20 percentage points.
With reports of lower voter enthusiasm dominating the narrative,
the Culture of Democracy Tour is critical to remind voters of their
power and encourage voter participation. Highlights include:
- Events: When We All Vote will join some of the
summer's biggest events and celebrations to register voters,
including:
- The Roots Picnic in Philadelphia,
PA, on June 1 and 2
- Blavity House Party Music Festival in Nashville, TN, on June
14 and 15
- Essence Festival of Culture and the Global Black Economic
Forum's Summit and Conference in New
Orleans, LA, between July 4 and July
7
- National Days of Action and Volunteer
Mobilization: Hundreds of volunteers will host voter
registration drives and get their communities registered and ready
to vote:
- Pride Month voter registration drives throughout June
- Juneteenth Weekend of Action June
19-23
- The Voting Rights Act Anniversary on August 6
- Digital Campaigns: When We All Vote will engage
voters around the issues motivating them most through campaigns
with partners, such as:
- Digital and in-person activations with sports
leagues and athletes
- Digital campaigns around key issues for voters, including
reproductive rights, climate change and the state of the
economy
- A back-to-school campaign as a part of the My School Votes
program for high school students throughout August
- New partnerships with celebrity talent and brands
Culture of Democracy Collective
The more than 200
members of the Culture of Democracy Collective will register voters
through their platforms. For example:
- Lyft will offer discounted rides to the polls during
primaries, early voting and on Election Day across the country, as
well as help riders, drivers and team members register, prepare to
vote and understand voting ID requirements
- Lime will share voter registration deadlines and offer
free e-bike and e-scooter rides to polling locations on Election
Day
- Amalgamated Bank will promote voter registration in
branches to help inform their customers and employees about the
elections and encourage them to vote
- Essence and the Global Black Economic Forum will
register and mobilize voters and protect democracy
- The Executive Leadership Council will convene Black
business leaders to mobilize around voter education and
registration in both the workplace and in their local
communities
- Clare V. will release a VOTE t-shirt in support of When
We All Vote
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority, Incorporated and other organizations in the Divine
Nine will mobilize their membership around Juneteenth to
register people to vote
- Drag Out the Vote will encourage the community to
register voters for Pride Month
- State Voices will help galvanize their large network to
host Parties at the Polls
- Southern Poverty Law Center will register voters through
statewide campaigns in Alabama and
Mississippi
Earlier this year, When We All Vote laid out its three-pronged
strategy for 2024: 1) register at least 500,000 Americans to vote;
2) reach and mobilize 5 million voters to cast their ballots; 3)
change the culture around voting with partners and celebrity
co-chairs and ambassadors.
ABOUT When We All Vote:
When We All Vote is a
leading national, nonpartisan initiative on a mission to change the
culture around voting and to increase participation in each and
every election by helping to close the race and age gap. Created by
Michelle Obama, When We All Vote
brings together individuals, institutions, brands, and
organizations to register new voters across the country and advance
civic education for the entire family and voters of every age to
build an informed and engaged electorate for today and generations
to come. We empower our supporters and volunteers to take action
through voting, advocating for their rights, and holding their
elected officials accountable.
In 2020, When We All Vote ran a robust, multifaceted campaign
and reached more than 100 million people to educate them about the
voting process and get them registered and ready to vote. The
initiative also led in voter education, registration, and volunteer
engagement and as a result, 512,000 people started or completed the
voter registration process, and nearly 500 media, corporate, and
nonprofit partners joined its efforts.
Michelle Obama launched When We
All Vote in 2018 and is joined by fellow Co-Chairs Stephen Curry,
Becky G, Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks, H.E.R., Liza
Koshy, Jennifer Lopez,
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monae, Chris
Paul, Megan Rapinoe, Shonda
Rhimes, Bretman Rock, Kerry
Washington, and Rita Wilson.
When We All Vote is an initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3)
organization, and works with Civic Nation Action, a 501(c)(4).
Learn more here.
ABOUT Civic Nation:
Civic Nation is a nonprofit
ecosystem for high-impact organizing and education initiatives
working to build a more inclusive and equitable America. Civic
Nation shifts culture, systems, and policy by bringing together
individuals, grassroots organizers, industry leaders and
influencers to tackle some of our nation's most pressing social
challenges. Civic Nation is home to seven national initiatives and
campaigns: ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, Change Collective,
It's On Us, Online for All, SAVE On Student Debt, We The Action,
and When We All Vote. Learn more here.
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SOURCE When We All Vote