On Tuesday September 24th, more than a dozen secretaries of state participated in the second annual National Voter Registration Day by promoting voter registration, hosting special events, or joining the online conversation.
The 2013-14 NASS president, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, was particularly engaged in National Voter Registration Month and NVRD. He encouraged Tennessee voters to snap photos holding an "I'm registered to vote. Are you?" sign and share them online. Secretary Hargett led by example, posting his picture on Twitter and the GoVoteTN website.
On National Voter Registration Day, Hargett's Twitter feed was full of these photo retweets (including state election commissioners), facts about voting (like "Voting keeps your status active, but if your address has changed you need to change your address with the election commission."), and links to voting information.
Secretaries of State from Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana. Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Texas also tweeted about #CelebrateNVRD. They encouraged voters to register, check their registration status, and make updates as necessary. States that allow online registration, like California and Washington, made it easy to "check 'registering to vote' off your to-do list" by directing voters to online registration portals.
In Georgia, the Secretary of State shared information on current voter registration numbers and demographics. Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill launched a high school voter registration contest. In his NVRD press release, the Kansas Secretary of State sought to promote awareness for voter registration requirements, including resources that cover ID and proof of citizenship requirements.
On September 24th, secretaries of state across the country not only affirmed the importance of voting, but also demonstrated their commitment to engaging voters and promoting voter registration. Now, as they say in Louisiana, Let's Geaux Vote!
