MassPIRG Launches New Voters Project To Educate & Turn-Out Students To Vote in November

The following is a press release submitted to SOURCE media

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BOSTON – MASSPIRG Students launch their effort to help students across MA register and vote safely in a COVID-19 election in coordination with campus administrators, faculty, civic engagement staff, and a coalition of nonprofits.

On Tuesday Sep 22, at 9;45 a.m., in honor of National Voter Registration Day (#NVRD), students will launch the New Voters Project, a campaign to educate, help register, and turn out thousands of students to vote in the November elections. Students will hold virtual events throughout the day of action and will join guest speakers for a launch webinar to hear about the importance of the youth vote this November.

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Panel speakers include:

●     Lisa Wong, former Mayor of Fitchburg MA

●     Nancy Thomas, Director of the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education

●     Annie Soup-Koagne, Event Coordinator for the Association of Students of African Origin, and member of the Black Advisory Council, UMass Lowell

●     Ruben Sanca, Assistant Athletic Director for Administration at UMass Lowell

●     Heidi Getchel-Bastien, Assistant Professor – Criminal Justice and Government at MassBay Community College

●     Rachel Ellis, Student Government Association President at UMass Amherst

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Although COVID-19 has reshaped the election landscape in 2020, as in the past, motivated young Americans are leading the efforts to mobilize their communities this fall, even with minimal face-to-face interaction on campus.

On National Voter Registration Day (Tuesday, Sept. 22), college student leaders with the MASSPIRGs’ New Voters Project will raise their peers’  awareness over social media, organize diverse coalitions of student groups and hold virtual events in an online effort to register thousands of students to vote.

While traditional on-campus outreach has halted across most of the country, students are still focused on using personalized tactics to mobilize young people — the largest potential voting bloc in the United States.

In addition to the Tuesday am Statewide webinar, our campus will be holding the following events and welcome the media to attend any or all of them:

●     Monday 9/21 3-5pm est: “Why I’m Voting” video creation event: In preparation for National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday Sep 22nd, come to create your own 15-30 second video that you can share on your own social media platforms to encourage your friends to get registered to vote and get PUMPED about casting their ballot on Election Day. We’ll go over some key “movie making” tips to guarantee successful likes and follows, and provide some sample scripts, videos, and posting language that will help you mobilize your friends and family to participate in the 2020 election. This is a completely virtual volunteer event, and we prioritize being non-partisan in order to maximize involvement in democracy – regardless of background, ideology, or party affiliation. Contact Samantha@masspirgstudents.org for more information

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●     Tuesday 9/22 12-3PM: Join the UMass Boston Vote Coalition for our “Friends Help Friends Vote”. We know that young people aren’t voting at the same rate as other generations, but we can have our voices heard if we all vote! We know it makes a big difference if friends ask friends to vote, and while we’re physically distanced, we know that reaching people through our own networks is super important. Join other students to reach out via phone, text, DM, snap-story, carrier-pigeon to help students update their voter registration. We’ll kick off this event with a special guest speaker (Vice Chancellor DiSabatino and/or Director of Civic Engagement at UMass Boston) who will talk to us about why youth voting matters. Contact jseremba@masspirgstudents.org for more information

●     Tuesday 9/22 12-4PM: Join SSU Votes and Guest Panelists for a “Friends Help Friends Vote Event” To make sure all eligible voters across the North Shore are registered and ready to cast their ballot this November the SSU Votes coalition is holding a virtual phone bank event. We will be hearing from President Keenan, Representative Paul Tucker, Cynthia Lynch Director of the Civic Engagement Office, and College Republicans leader Michael Corley about why getting out to vote is just so important this November! Join other students to reach out via phone, text, DM, snap-story, and more to get registered or update their registration status. Contact cholland@masspirgstudents.org for more information.

●     Wednesday 9/23 11-1 pm: Dinner and a Show at MassBay Community College. Bring your lunch, bring your friends, bring your ID! Let’s get registered. We will also be streaming “Schoolhouse Rock: America Rock” (at 11:15 am and 12:15 pm) to inspire all of us to vote! Contact jcoviello@masspirgstudents.org for more information

●     Wednesday 9/23 7pm-8pm: “ Riverhawks Voting Game Night” at UMass Lowell: Learn more about the voting process during our National Voter Registration Game Night! Hang out with some fellow River Hawks, and get your questions about voting answered through some fun games! Contact mcallahan@masspirgstudents.org for more information

●     Thursday 9/23 5-7pm: “Everyone… and their pets… should vote!” at UMass Lowell: Join the UMass Lowell Vote Coalition (and all our pets!) in reaching out to our friends and peers to help everyone get registered to vote in celebration of National Voter Registration Day on September 22nd! We’ll feature all our favorite furry and scaly friends while we reach out and encourage our other friends to get registered!

Follow @MASSPIRGStudent on social media and visit www.MASSPIRGStudents.org for more information and updates on the campaign

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