It’s #NationalVoterRegistrationDay, and everyone around the country is encouraging citizens to get out and register to vote.
Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Meek Mill, Taylor Swift, and more are taking to social media to spread the word about registering to vote. National Voter Registration Day became an official nonpartisan national day back in 2012 to celebrate the nation’s democracy. It is celebrated the fourth Tuesday of September in an effort to educate Americans on how to register and where they are able to.
It’s not just celebrities putting in the work to ignite change; thousands of volunteers have taken to the streets with the mission to register more than 250,000 eligible voters. “States, counties, and cities across the nation are having elections this year with more than 35,000 seats up for grabs, yet there remains an alarming number of people unable to vote due to lack of proper registration,” said Patrick Sweeney, political director at EveryLibrary, one of the key national partners behind the holiday in a statement. “To compound the problem, more than 60% of unregistered voters say they were never asked to register, which makes initiatives such as National Voter Registration Day of critical importance.”
According to a recent Brennan Center analysis, at least 17 million voters were purged from voting rolls nationwide between 2016 and 2018, with counties with a history of voter discrimination continuing to purge people from the rolls at high rates. Forever First Lady #MichelleObama posted on Instagram about a young man who was helping citizens register to vote while they waiting in a #Popeyes line.
“I want you all to meet David Ledbetter. You might have heard about him before—he’s the 17-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, who made news when he registered voters while waiting in line for a chicken sandwich at Popeyes. On #NationalVoterRegistrationDay, I hope you’ll get creative to help folks make sure they can make their voices heard. Join me and WhenWeAllVote by pledging to register three friends to vote at the link in my bio,” Obama wrote.
Meek Mill encouraged Tampa and Miami residents to vote. “Tampa and Miami stop by the #LetMyPeopleVote tents at the Legendary Nights tour today and tomorrow #NationalVoterRegistrationDay,” he wrote via Twitter. Actress #JeniferLewis made voter registration a musical message by singing along with a local Los Angeles church. “While filming with #LenaWaithe in these streets, I ran into the Faithful Central Bible Church choir. Thank you so very much.♥️ Today’s #NationalVoterRegistrationDay Register at http://vote.gov #JeniferLewis #TheMotherofBlackHollywood #InTheseStreets,” she wrote.
