TL;DR -- today is National Voter Registration Day.

GenZ’s power to change elections is only getting stronger. And as a youth-powered movement, March For Our Lives knows that when we mobilize our peers, we win. In 2020, our voter registration and mobilization effort helped drive a record number of young voters to the polls, increasing youth turnout by up to 24% between 2016 and 2020. Investing in registration and building lifetime voters, starting at the high school age, is critical to our work and to the health of our democracy as a whole. This year, we’re keeping the momentum going by running voter education and registration drives at high schools across the country.

You may be thinking, “isn’t it an off-year?” Sure, we may not be electing the next president, but some of the most radical change happens at the local level, and there are countless examples to prove it. Local electeds in Oakland, CA worked to cut the city’s homicides in half with critical gun violence prevention policies; Councilmembers in the city of Minneapolis just recently rolled out a new Community Safety Specialist program to get guns off the streets; and Baltimore’s mayor Brandon Scott is putting all-hands on deck in the fight against gun violence. Community-driven programs like this wouldn’t be possible without local leaders who are spearheading them. Turning out voters in these local races is key to electing candidates across the board who will push for gun violence prevention and progressive policy change. The bottom line is this: there are no off years in the fight for justice.

It’s critical that young people are turning out in droves in decision-making moments at the local, statewide, and national levels. Today, you can help show that our voting bloc is growing larger every year by sending this link to three friends:

National Voter Registration Day is about keeping our friends and family informed and prepared to make their voices heard in the next election. It’s about making sure a missed deadline isn’t the difference between casting a ballot -- a precious right that generations before us fought and died for -- and sitting on the sidelines. At a time when so many corrupt, power-hungry leaders are working to take our votes away, we must make sure everyone has access to the information they need to cast their ballot.

It’s a beautiful day to become a voter!

In solidarity,
Gaby Salazar
National Organizing Director
March For Our Lives