When We All Vote Makes Early Voting a Celebration With More Than 500 Party at the Polls Events This Fall

Washington, DC: Today, When We All Vote, Michelle Obama’s national, nonpartisan voting initiative, relaunched Party at the Polls, the organization’s program to turn the voting experience into a community celebration, increase turnout and reinforce the importance of voting. This year, Party at the Polls will be bigger than ever with more than 500 early voting events across the country.

All October long and into November, When We All Vote partners and volunteers will host nonpartisan celebrations near early voting locations across the country to increase voter turnout and bring their communities together to cast their ballots. With a vision of voting that is accessible, inclusive and fun, Party at the Polls turns voting into a celebration with music, food, culture and activities for voters of all ages. Every Party at the Polls is free to attend and open to everyone in the community.

“At When We All Vote, we believe that voting should be joyful and using our voices at the polls is truly something to celebrate. That’s why When We All Vote is bringing the Party to the Polls at more than 500 events to make sure our communities are celebrating their power together. The election doesn’t start on Election Day — it ends on Election Day. Through our Party at the Polls program, we encourage and celebrate early voting,” said Beth Lynk, Executive Director of When We All Vote.

Party at the Polls is a proven, powerful and effective method for encouraging turnout, especially among young voters and voters of color. In 2020, research found that the Party at the Polls program increased voter participation by up to 4 percentage points. Early vote events were especially effective, boosting turnout by approximately 3.5 percent, or 90 votes, per precinct. In 2022, a randomized controlled trial of 70 parties found that an additional 12,000 voters who likely would not have otherwise voted turned out to vote as a result, and this group represented a fraction of the voters who attended the more than 200 parties at the polls that year alone. 

In addition to hundreds of community and volunteer-led events, flagship Party at the Polls events include:

• Celebrate Philadelphia Block Parties in Philadelphia, PA: In partnership with Welcome America, When We All Vote will host a two-part block party series at two of the City of Philadelphia’s satellite election offices featuring performances, engaging conversations, sponsor activations, community tabling, giveaways and more on October 12 and 19. 

• Walk to the Polls in Window Rock, AZ: When We All Vote and SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios will join Protect the Sacred and Mark Ruffalo for a Walk to the Polls with Diné College on the Navajo Nation on October 12. 

• Community College Vote ‘24 Events in Pittsburgh, PA, Philadelphia, PA, Grand Rapids, MI, and Milwaukee, WI: When We All Vote and SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios will celebrate community college students making their voices heard this year with on-campus parties at Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, PA, on October 21, Community College of Philadelphia, Grand Rapids Community College on October 29 for Vote Early Day and Milwaukee Area Technical College with the Milwaukee Bucks on October 31.

• VotaPalooza in Phoenix, AZ, and Atlanta, GA: When We All Vote and Grita Canta Vota will host Get Out The Vote Music Festivals to celebrate Latino voters through music, dance, culture and community in Phoenix, AZ, on October 17 and Atlanta, GA, on October 20. 

• Drag Out the Vote Drag Show in Phoenix, AZ, and Divas for Democracy Dance Party at the Polls in Las Vegas, NV: When We All Vote and Drag Out the Vote will present a Get Out The Vote drag show in Phoenix on October 18 with Barbra Seville and Drag Out The Vote Drag Ambassador Afrika America, and a drag show and dance party with Drag Ambassadors and local drag artists, including Drag Ambassador Plasma from RuPauls Drag Race Season 16, in Las Vegas on October 29.

• Gospel Fest: Lift Every Vote in Atlanta, GA: When We All Vote and BlackPush will lift every voice at a concert featuring Zacardi Cortez on October 27. 

• NCCU Soar to the Polls in Durham, NC: Alongside RISE NC, When We All Vote will host an evening of food, entertainment and carnival fun on October 18. 

• ONE Musicfest in Atlanta, GA: When We All Vote and Live Nation Urban will bring voters together at ONE Musicfest on October 26-27 in Central Park featuring headliners Cardi B, Gunna, Jill Scott, Victoria Monét and Earth, Wind & Fire, and performances by Dru Hill, Fridayy, Destin Conrad, Fantasia, Jeremih, Sexyy Red, GloRilla, Nelly, BigXthaPlug, Young Nudy, T.I., BossMan Dlow, Method Man & Redman and more. When We All Vote is also running a sweepstakes for voters to enter to win GA+ tickets, travel and hotel for taking action. 

• Dunk the Vote in Clark County, NV, and Maricopa County, AZ: When We All Vote and Hoop Bus will rally the community to Dunk the Vote and increase voter participation in the 2024 general election with community block parties and pop ups for players and volunteers across Clark County, Las Vegas, and throughout Maricopa County in greater Phoenix in October.

Members of the Culture of Democracy Collective, When We All Vote’s network of more than 450 leading national and community organizations dedicated to this work, including sports, corporate and entertainment partners, will also be part of Party at the Polls, including:

• Glossier will provide free Balm Dotcom at flagship events in Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Atlanta. 

• When We All Vote will provide rideshare codes to help voters Pull Up To The Polls through support from Universal Music Group. 

• Lime will provide ride codes and fleets of bikes and scooters at some events and distribute information about the free rides they’re providing across the entire country from Vote Early Day to Election Day. 

• Social Change Fund United and the National Basketball Players Association will sponsor multiple Party at the Polls events.

• Tony’s Chocolonely will donate custom When We All Vote chocolate bars at the Celebrate Philadelphia Block Parties and provide treats at national events. 

• Elle Olivia will provide coloring books, stickers, bags, throws and special discounts to the Her Future collection, which is a collaboration with When We All Vote, at the Celebrate Philadelphia Block Parties.

Community partners and organizations will also host early voting parties in their communities, including: 

• Dozens of events led by Divine Nine fraternity and sorority chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Incorporated.

• Events hosted by faith groups including AME churches and Muslim civic groups.

• Events led by organizations like Detroit Disability Power, North Carolina Black Alliance, RISE, local chapters of The Links, Incorporated and Jack and Jill of America. 

Voters can find a full list of Party at the Polls events in their communities or sign up to host a Party at the Polls here and check their voter registration, confirm any ID requirements and check what’s on the ballot before heading to a Party on When We All Vote’s Voter Resources Hub. 

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ABOUT When We All Vote: 

When We All Vote is a leading national, nonpartisan initiative on a mission to change the culture around voting and to increase participation in each and every election by helping to close the race and age gap. Created by Michelle Obama, When We All Vote brings together individuals, institutions, brands, and organizations to register new voters across the country and advance civic education for the entire family and voters of every age to build an informed and engaged electorate for today and generations to come. We empower our supporters and volunteers to take action through voting, advocating for their rights, and holding their elected officials accountable.

In 2020, When We All Vote ran a robust, multifaceted campaign and reached more than 100 million people to educate them about the voting process and get them registered and ready to vote. The initiative also led in voter education, registration, and volunteer engagement and as a result, 512,000 people started or completed the voter registration process, and nearly 500 media, corporate, and nonprofit partners joined its efforts.

Michelle Obama launched When We All Vote in 2018 and is joined by fellow Co-Chairs Stephen Curry, Becky G, Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks, H.E.R., Liza Koshy, Jennifer Lopez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monáe, Chris Paul, Megan Rapinoe, Shonda Rhimes, Bretman Rock, Kerry Washington, and Rita Wilson. When We All Vote is an initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization, and works with Civic Nation Action, a 501(c)(4). Learn more here.

ABOUT Civic Nation:

Civic Nation is a nonprofit ecosystem for high-impact organizing and education initiatives working to build a more inclusive and equitable America. Civic Nation shifts culture, systems, and policy by bringing together individuals, grassroots organizers, industry leaders, and influencers to tackle some of our nation’s most pressing social challenges. Civic Nation is home to seven national initiatives and campaigns: ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, Change Collective, It’s On Us, Save On Clean Energy, SAVE On Student Debt, We The Action, and When We All Vote. Learn more here.