Vote Early Day
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Vote Early Day is a movement by a coalition of nonprofits and businesses which encourages voters to use early ballots and designates October 24 as the official “Vote Early Day”.
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
and over 65 partners introduced “Vote Early Day” with the goal to become a new U.S. national civic holiday. Vote Early Day is meant to encourage eligible United States citizens to vote early. The effort also intends to assist people, particularly young voters, to stay informed on what their state's laws are related to early voting.


Background

Early voting permits registered voters to cast ballots before an election. In states that allow no-excuse early voting, a voter does not need to provide a reason for being unable to vote on
Election Day Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections ...
. Whether early voting is helpful or detrimental, and whether it should be expanded or limited, are subjects of debate. Proponents of early voting argue that it may increase participation among particular demographic groups, reduce wait times at the polls, and facilitate the correction of errors. Opponents of early voting argue that it can decrease overall turnout, lead to poorly informed voting, and increase costs for campaigns. Democrats are assumed to benefit from higher election turnout, however studies do not fully support that hypothesis. The Vote Early Day organization was formed as a nonpartisan, centralized source to create awareness and provide information and resources about Vote Early Day. Partner funding comprises election administrations, businesses, higher education, community groups, and nonprofit organizations. Their website gives direct information and links to other groups’ websites about state by state rules, U.S. citizens living or deployed outside the United States concerning early voting. They also provide resources about voting in general including election deadlines by state, including mail and in-person,
voter registration In electoral systems, voter registration (or enrollment) is the requirement that a person otherwise Suffrage, eligible to Voting, vote must register (or enroll) on an electoral roll, which is usually a prerequisite for being entitled or permitted ...
information, voter ID information, election protection hotline, multilingual help line, free rideshare to vote early, and mail ballot tracking.


Activities


2020

The MTV campaign launched with partners across media, consumer brands, and advocacy organizations, and its advantage of being independent. The bipartisan initiative “Vote Early Day 2020” recruited companies to motivate people to vote by absentee ballots or in person early in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Election officials and organizations across the country, including Georgia Secretary of State
Brad Raffensperger Bradford Jay Raffensperger (born May 18, 1955) is an American businessman, civil engineer, and politician serving as the Georgia Secretary of State, secretary of state of Georgia since 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
, inaugurated Vote Early Day to promote participation to vote prior to election day. Brands from technology, retail, entertainment including
Ad Council The Advertising Council, commonly known as Ad Council, is an American nonprofit organization that produces, distributes, and promotes public service announcements or PSAs on behalf of various sponsors, including nonprofit organizations, non-gover ...
,
ViacomCBS Paramount Global (Trade name, d/b/a Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and Headquarters, headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, ...
, have promoted early voting using digital, television and social media along with referrals to websites that offer voter information tools. MTV paid for the printing and mailing of ballot applications requested through the network's voter initiative campaign. University of Martha Washington shared news that due to new legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly, Virginia residents are allowed to vote early in-person in their Registrar's office or designated regional voting center.
US House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
,
David Scott David Randolph Scott (born June 6, 1932) is an American retired test pilot and NASA astronaut who was the List of Apollo astronauts#People who have walked on the Moon, seventh person to walk on the Moon. Selected as part of the NASA Astronaut ...
used Vote Early Day 2020, to ensure that voters have access to resources to help safe and secure voting.


2021

Boulder County Elections and Avery Brewing Company co-hosted a Vote Early Day event where voters could bring their ballots to the drop box at Avery Brewing, obtain an “ I Voted” sticker, register to vote, acquire voting information, and collect Vote Early Day souvenirs.
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
encouraged their students to get involved in civic engagement by registering, learning, and advocating.
Marywood University Marywood University is a Private university, private Catholic university in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marywood currently enrolls more than 2,800 students ...
’s nonpartisan campaign, Pacers to the Polls, promoted increased voter registration, preparedness, and turnout among their students.


2022

On October 28, 2022 MTV broadcast MTV LIVE: VOTE EARLY DAY, a digital celebration to get out the vote early. The
League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...
offered reasons for voting early, including flexibility, convenience, and personal health and safety.
Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic Church, ...
,
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
,
University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the Public university, public university system of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes six campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Lowell ...
, Germanna Community College,
Mercer University Mercer University is a Private university, private Research university, research university in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the s ...
,
Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
,
Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a Public university, public research university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as ...
,
Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...
,
San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the List of oldest schools in California, oldest public university on the West Coast of ...
,
Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...
, and
California State University San Marcos California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM or Cal State San Marcos) is a public university in San Marcos, California, United States. It was founded in 1989 as the 21st campus in the California State University (CSU) system. CSUSM offers 43 ...
published school calendars identifying the Vote Early Day civic holiday.
Illinois Library Association The Illinois Library Association (ILA) is the eighth oldest library association in the world and the third largest state library association in the United States. It is headquartered in Chicago. History The first meeting of what was to become th ...
has joined the nonpartisan movement of over 3,000 companies, nonprofits, and election entities to ensure all Americans have the resources to vote early.


2023

Over 400 Philadelphia students rallied at City Hall to encourage new voters to cast their votes early. Boulder County Elections joined with three Boulder County organizations/businesses: Intercambio, Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA), and Avery Brewing to host three Vote Early Day events. The Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections informed citizens about the options to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day. The City of Lewiston partnered with national Vote Early Day to remind voters to order an absentee ballot, stop by and vote in person, or pick up a ballot for a family member.
Colorado Secretary of State The secretary of state of Colorado is the secretary of state of the state of Colorado in the United States. The office is one of five elected constitutional offices in the state. The current secretary of state is Democrat Jena Griswold. Str ...
Jena Griswold Jena Marie Griswold (born October 2, 1984) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Colorado. A Democrat, she is the 39th Colorado Secretary of State, serving since January 8, 2019. She is the first Democrat to be elected Secre ...
encouraged voters to return their ballots early either by mail, at a drop box, or at a voting center. The Pawtucket Board of Canvassers announced their participation with thousands of nationwide organizations to celebrate Vote Early Day.
Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
aired an interview with the executive director of "Vote Early Day" promoting the importance of early voting. To promote awareness of National Vote Early Day with students, the
Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
Shockers Vote! Coalition hosted a trivia game at the Rhatigan Student Center. The
Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...
and
Lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...
announced its annual Pack the Vote initiative to educate voters and inspire civic engagement. At a joint press conference, Colorado County Clerks encouraged voters to return their mailed ballots ahead of election day to assure timely processing. Records from the Secretary of State's Office showed that less than 223,000 of Colorado's 4 million eligible voters had returned their ballots early. The City of Aurora, Colorado asked voters to return ballots early to ensure votes are counted. Emory University with Emory Votes Initiative, Emory NAACP hosted a nonpartisan GOTV rally and march to the DeKalb County polling site. The event included music, Emory Votes voting swag, and giveaways. The League of Women Voter of Detroit posted support of the civic holiday, stating that “over 3,000,000 voters cast their ballots on Vote Early Day alone.” Former President of the United States,
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
, has extended an invitation to all voters to actively participate in the elections taking place in various states across the nation. Obama highlighted the significance of voter engagement as participation is critical to the democratic process. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections (BOE), in collaboration with Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services, invited registered voters to celebrate Vote Early Day by casting their vote.
University of Illinois Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...
celebrates Vote Early Day by pointing out that when individuals vote early, they will head off last-minute problems that may prevent them from casting their ballots as well as help shorten voting lines on Election Day. The Ad Council suggested airing new public service announcements that encourage audiences to celebrate Vote Early Day.{{Cite web , title=Vote Early , url=https://www.adcouncil.org/campagin/vote-early , access-date=2023-11-01 , website=www.adcouncil.org


References

Voter registration Election and voting-related organizations based in the United States Annual events in the United States Voting in the United States