Viva la V! In my latest installment of the A to Z journey through the Music-Fan Connection, we’ve got rockers hitting the streets to make sure fans know that every vote counts.
HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that unleashes the power of musicians and fans to make a difference. The group stages organized action campaigns that drive participation in community and raise social consciousness, including the nation’s largest event-based voter registration drive.
In 2012, HeadCount registered 103,340 Americans to vote, contributing to record-breaking total turnout by young voters.
If you hit up a festival or concert last summer, chances are you might have run into one of HeadCount’s 10,000 volunteers with their “register to vote” clipboards. Every day in 2012, their volunteers registered voters at concerts. They sent volunteers on the road with Dave Matthews Band, J. Cole, Wilco, Phish and Furthur, and worked locally with another 100+ artists, festivals, and venues. More than 35,000 registrations came from this massive field campaign.
Unofficial HeadCount Kid – my own kid taking time out of her busy festival season to round up some voters
Unofficial HeadCount Kid – my own kid taking time out of her busy festival season to round up some voters
Or maybe you saw a photo of someone holding up HeadCount’s “register to vote” clipboard online. 50 Cent, Stephen Colbert, Jack Johnson and George Lopez were among the 200 musicians, comics and entertainers who posted these photos on social media on National Voter Registration Day, reaching their combined 100 million fans/followers. HeadCount registered close to 40,000 voters through this initiative alone!
Some 2012 stats:
The #1 tweet came from this guy (registrations generated, and re-tweets):
And the #1 Facebook post (for registrations) was from….
WANT TO GET IN ON THE ACTION? You can join the team, or if you are not yet a registered voter, you can get started by clicking the button below!
weird, in Germany I don’t think you need to register to vote, I just turned up once I was 18 to make my little X’s.
Wow, very different!
Good for them! Voting is both a duty and privilege, and i hound every kid i know, as soon as s/he turns 18, to get over to the clerk of court’s office (and i’ve even offered to give rides, but they prefer to do it on their own, it seems).
What a cool organization! I do believe I have seen them at music festivals/concerts!! I live in the raging caucus state of Iowa, so getting the vote is very popular here!! Happy A-to-Z 2013! ~Angela, Whole Foods Living, http://www.wholefoodsliving.blogspot.com/
Thanks for popping by, Angela. Now that I’ve mentioned them, you will probably see them everywhere you go! And now you know a bit more about them. 🙂