Get off the pollercoaster!
Artistic activism gets people voting.
This is how.
Polls aren’t going to decide this election cycle. We are.
At the Center for Artistic Activism, we’ve been working across the country to mobilize people in record numbers. We’re getting out the vote in Wisconsin, Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, New York, and dozens of other states.
This is (some of) what we’re working on:
Young voters are showing up thanks to compelling characters like pageant queen Miss Information (Fellow La Baker), who registers voters while spreading “da truth” about voting.
LGBTQIA+ communities are countering voter suppression and empowering folks in Texas through witchy “secret society” the Civic Mystics.
Multigenerational Asian and Latinx communities are showing their Year of the Dragon-worthy voting power through our Fellow Caroline Scown of the Chinese-American Planning Council.
Example: A Pittsburgh Pierogi voting action led by our Faculty Fellow D.T. Burns as captured on local TV
College students and faculty across 38 campuses are demystifying the voting process, connecting voting to issues students care about, and throwing media-worthy election events.
Election officials and poll workers are channeling their superpowers as Accessible Democracy Allies, making sure everyone – with and without disabilities – can vote. And they’re doing it through strategic use of comic books, superhero capes, and photo booths!
New voters, and anyone with voting questions, are getting personal help through our Voter Concierge service. It walks people through how to register, where to vote, and what those tricky ballot initiatives and down-ballot options mean.
But there’s more!
- Artists are using their unique skills to mobilize their communities. We’re supporting their wildly creative get-out-the-vote projects: “Move to Vote” dance workshops, community asadas for Latiné voters, culturally-tailored GOTV posters and zines, “Concerts for Democracy,” bipartisan political comedy shows, larger-than-life collaborative crafting in Asian immigrant neighborhoods, and 100-foot tall projections illuminating early voting and ballot drop box locations.
- Justice-impacted individuals are getting key information about their voting rights via special multimedia that’s reached over 80,000 people.
- BIPOC communities are centering their liberation as inspired by immersive, multimedia pop-ups featuring community storytelling, music, mural-making, and performance.
- Rural folks are raring to go via culturally-specific events like Trail Rides, motorcycle shows, jazz festivals and ice cream socials.
And that’s only some of it! We’re posting tons more projects on Instagram. Follow to feel joy, learn practical tips, and get your inspiration going.
What can you do?
- Be the proof: People love to join a team. Celebrate that you’re engaged in the election and that so many people are. Encourage your communities to join you in the social fun of civic participation.
- Be the pressure: Create your own local actions to help people vote. Use our tools, reach out if you have questions, and tell us how it’s all going.
- Be the positivity: Contribute to the good kind of noise. We always believe that the so-called “impossible” is truly possible. Imagine winning — because we have, we can, and we will.
- Be you: If you or someone you know is unsure about anything voting-related, ask a Voter Concierge.
Plus: This work doesn’t end on November 5th. We’re also working to ensure that voters and their votes are protected, those who are elected are sworn into office, and our democracy is upheld. Stay tuned for more on that.
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