Washington, DC: Today, When We All Vote’s national high school program, My School Votes, in partnership with MTV’s +1thevote and support from brand partners, such as Rent the Runway, announced the official launch of the 2020 Prom Challenge – a grant competition that will recognize high schools from across the country committed to boosting voter registration in their communities.
20 high schools with the most creative and impactful voter registration programs will be selected to win up to $5,000 to fund their proms and/or their nonpartisan voter registration efforts.
“With over 4 million Americans turning 18 between now and the 2020 election, When We All Vote and MTV are working to integrate voter registration into the lives of high school seniors, from proms to games, graduations to birthdays”, said Crystal Carson, Communications Director for When We All Vote.
By tapping into the power of prom, When We All Vote and MTV are coupling two important milestones in the lives of high school seniors. Students, teachers, administrators and parents are encouraged to apply online at mtvprom.whenweallvote.org, where they can also access important resources to help them get started.
About When We All Vote:
When We All Vote is a national, nonpartisan, non-profit that brings together citizens, institutions, brands, and organizations to increase participation in every election. We are committed to closing the race and age voting gap and empowering all eligible voters to cast their ballot by harnessing grassroots energy, establishing strategic partnerships, and implementing digital organizing strategies.
Launched in 2018 by co-chairs Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monáe, Chris Paul, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw, When We All Vote is changing the culture around voting using a data-driven and multifaceted approach to increase participation in elections.
In the months directly before the 2018 midterm elections, When We All Vote organized 2,500 local voter registration events across the country, engaged 200 million Americans online about the significance of voting, and texted nearly four million voters the resources to register and get out to vote.
In 2019, When We All Vote launched My School Votes a new initiative calling on educators, students and their parents across the country to engage and register their peers to vote. Since the launch in July, thousands of teachers and students have responded by joining When We All Vote and starting voter registration programs at their schools.
About MTV:
MTV is the leading global youth media brand across every platform with operations that span cable and mobile networks, live events, theatrical films and MTV Studios, a unit focused on developing series for SVOD and linear distribution partners.
MTV’s +1thevote is encouraging potential first-time voters to register and vote in the November national election with a year-long campaign focused on making voting more social, easier and part of the milestones already happening in their lives, from prom to graduation to birthdays.