WHAT: The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, MASSPIRG Students, and MassVOTE will come together on National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) for a major nonpartisan voter registration event. Volunteers will be out in force to register voters, provide information about Massachusetts’ brand new online voter registration system and the voting process, and distribute vote-themed giveaways. Boston’s newly appointed Election Commissioner, Dion Irish, will be on hand to meet registrants. This event was a winning submission in Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s ReEvent the Plaza Contest– an initiative to source ideas for new and creative events to be run in Boston
National Voter Registration Day, founded by voting rights and community organizations in 2012, has been a highly effective nonpartisan campaign to register tens of thousands of eligible voters on one single day through on-the-ground neighborhood events as well as online. Embraced by President Obama earlier this year on the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, as well as a host of celebrities, bipartisan elected officials and organizations, NVRD is building steam in 2015 with hundreds of events already planned as the primaries and caucuses for the 2016 elections quickly approach.
WHERE: Samuel Adams Park, Boston (on Congress Street, next to Faneuil Hall)
WHEN: September 22, 2015 from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
WHO: League of Women Voters of Massachusetts
MASSPIRG Students
MassVOTE
Boston Election Commissioner Dion Irish
WHY: This year’s National Voter Registration Day event in Boston’s Samuel Adams Park is intended to maximize voter turnout in the 2015 Boston municipal election (November 3, 2015) and to emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy democracy by exercising the right to vote in every election.
The first step to getting people turned out to the polls on Election Day is making sure they are registered to vote. We know that when people register to vote and are asked by their peers or community members to turn out to the polls, they are far more likely to participate. Face-to-face interactions for voter registration and Get Out the Vote efforts are particularly important in non-presidential elections when eligible voters are less likely to turnout. National Voter Registration Day is the perfect time to register for the first time, update your voter registration if you have moved, or ask your friends and family to make sure they are registered.
CONTACT: Meryl Kessler, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, mkessler@lwvma.org or 617-523-2999.