Great job to everyone who participated in National Voter Registration Day 2021!
After our NVRD Kickoff last night, I thought a lot about Johanna’s personal story and how she got involved as a WISPIRG intern a little over a year ago. She talked about a conversation she had with a student where she not only helped him register to vote for the first time, but his family members as well.
She recalled, “In just one ten-minute conversation, I had helped an entire family develop a lifetime of civic engagement.”
It’s not an exaggeration to say that every conversation we have to help register a new voter has the potential to develop a lifetime habit of voting. That’s why the work we did today to reach thousands of students about registering to vote makes a difference.
Whether you phonebanked, hosted events with campus partners, “Taco-ed-about” voting with other students, or tabled with the help of a four-legged friend, every conversation we had helped us get one step closer to a democracy where young people are heard. The work to register and mobilize new voters continues beyond today and I am excited to continue the work with you.
Thanks for making NVRD 2021 a big success! So many highlights out there, here are some from the day!
UW-Madison student leader Johanna led a zoom call of 100 students and organizers at our NVRD Kickoff meeting where students shared their plans for the big day and showed a roll call video of why voting is important in their state.
(Clockwise) Students at University of South Florida, University of Maryland, UC Irvine, Florida State University, and UC Santa Barbara help their peers register to vote at their NVRD tables
(Left to Right) Student leaders from Eckerd College, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and University of Virginia registering students at their tables and Vote-Mobile!
At the University of South Florida, Florida PIRG students hosted a Lets “Taco-bout” Democracy inspired table, where students helped students register to vote and asked them write why voting matters to them, on a taco of course.
Oregon Secretary of State Shamia Fagan joined students at UO to kick off their phone bank. She shared the history of NVRD’s start by young activists in Oregon and told our students they’re badass for helping make a difference!
The NJPIRG Team ran a statewide NVRD launch with the NJ Department of State, the Camden SGA president, Newark Director of the Office of Student Life and Leadership, and New Brunswick Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs!!
University of North Carolina’s mascot, Lil’ Rameses helped register voters as our stand in “Vote Goat” (even though he clarified on twitter that he is a ram). At NC State University, Blue our Democracy Dog, encourages students to pledge to vote!