[Image via nationalvoterregistrationday]

Today is National Voter Registration Day 2017 – that annual celebration designed to encourage new and existing voters alike to create or update their voter record! Here’s the press release from the organizers:

In celebration of National Voter Registration Day, 3,000 partners across the country will join together on Tuesday, September 26, for a massive 50-state effort to register voters in time for the November 2017 state and municipal elections. As the “Earth Day” of democracy — National Voter Registration Day is an annual opportunity for Americans of all backgrounds and political affiliations to come together and ensure that everyone gets the chance to exercise their right to vote.

Every year, millions of Americans are unable to vote because of problems with their voter registration, because they missed a crucial registration deadline, or they don’t know how to register in the first place. In fact, new data from the Democracy Fund points out that 41 percent of voters don’t know they have to update their voter registration when they move across town, and 20 percent don’t know they have to do so when they move to another state. Even in states where the registration process is made easy with online voter registration, only 1 in 3 voters are aware they have an online registration option.

“National Voter Registration Day is an opportunity to cut through the confusion about the voter registration process and help Americans across the country ensure their registration is up to date,” said Chris Carson, president of the League of Women Voters.

Local elections for school boards, mayors, judges, bond issues and ballot measures are being held across the country. These elections impact on people’s day-to-day lives in very concrete ways, including the quality of roads and transit systems, the schools children attend, parks and greenways and public safety.

“Local elections matter more to everyday quality of life than any other election contest,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a National Voter Registration Day Steering Committee Member. “Your vote is your voice. But you can’t use that voice unless you first register to vote.”

For eligible voters, you must register or update your registration, depending on state law, if you’ll turn 18 by Election Day, if you’re a newly naturalized citizen, when you move across town or across state lines, when you change your name, or if you haven’t voted in a while, in which case your registration may have been removed due to inactivity.

You can update your voter registration online at NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org  

Since 2012, over 1.4 million people have registered to vote or updated their registration as part of National Voter Registration Day, celebrated annually on the 4th Tuesday in September. The holiday has continued to grow each year with new partnerships and energy. Some of the major new partners for 2017 include the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Facebook, BET Networks, CMT and WeWork (see full list of partners here).

“Military and veteran families are a vital part of every community in America. While their service is national, their family needs are local,” said Col. Mike Turner, USAF (Ret.), Executive Director of the Military Officers Association of America’s (MOAA) Military Family Initiative. “Voting in every election is the surest way their voices will be heard.”

“Voting is the great equalizer and through our BET Vote campaign, we want to make it easier for people to have a voice in the political process”, said Nneka Norville, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at BET Networks. “National Voter Registration Day is an opportunity to galvanize our employees and our audience around the importance of civic participation.” 

To find out more about how to register or whether you need to update your voter registration, visit NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org. Make sure to follow National Voter Registration Day activities through social media on September 26 by searching #NationalVoterRegistrationDay.

In addition to the 3,000+ national and community partners across the nation, major partners include Alliance for Youth Organizing, Andrew Goodman Foundation, APALA, Arab American Institute, Asian Pacific Islander American Vote, BET Networks, Carnegie Corporation, CenterLink, Country Music Television / CMT, Every Library, Facebook, FELN, FourSquare, Headcount, Independent Sector, Inspire US, LWV, Mi Familia Vota, Military Officers Assoc. of America (MOAA), MTV, NALEO Educational  Fund, National Action Network, National Council of Nonprofits, NASS, NASED, National Disability Rights Network, Nonprofit VOTE, Reddit, Rock the Vote, Spotify, Students Learn Students Vote, Tumblr, TurboVote, Twitter, United Way, Univision, Vote.org, VotoLatino, Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, WeWork, and YWCA.

As always, NVRD is a terrific opportunity to get the nation focused on the need for voter registration. Congratulations and good luck to all of the community organizations – and election officials in those communities – working together to get more Americans on the rolls. Stay tuned …

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