Every day, millions of users vote on content across Reddit. In this upcoming election season, whether by ballot box or mailbox, millions of Americans will use their vote for a much more paramount reason — to determine the leadership of our nation.. From today until Election Day, we are focused on helping as many eligible Americans participate in the electoral process as possible.
To help achieve this goal, Reddit is launching its “Voting In America” Ask Me Anything (AMA®) discussion series, as a part of our Up the Vote initiative. Over the coming weeks, Reddit will host experts who can skillfully explain voting laws, voter rights, and demystify the process for first time voters and the many Americans who are new to voting absentee or by mail.
Participants confirmed at the time of writing (with more to be added) are below. But while we have you… be sure to check your voter registration, learn about mail-in and absentee ballots, scope out early voting options, and find your polling place. Also, if you want to be a poll worker, you can do that here.
Ari Berman
TBD
Ari Berman is a former senior contributing writer for The Nation magazine and a Fellow at The Nation Institute. His book, Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America, was published in August 2015 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He has written extensively about American politics, civil rights, and the intersection of money and politics.
Justin Levitt
Thursday, September 15th, at 1:00pm EST in r/politics
Justin Levitt is a nationally recognized scholar of constitutional law and the law of democracy, Professor Justin Levitt served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. At DOJ, he primarily supported the Civil Rights Division’s work on voting rights and protections against employment discrimination (including LGBT rights in the workplace). Levitt has published in the Harvard Law Review, the Yale Law and Policy Review, the Columbia Law Review, the Georgetown Law Journal, the William & Mary Law Review, the peer-reviewed Election Law Journal, and other online publications.
League of Women Voters
TBD
The League of Women Voters of the United States encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. The League of Women Voters Education Fund works to register voters, provide voters with election information through voter guides as well as candidate forums and debates. The League is nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates or political parties at any level of government.
National Task Force on Election Crises
TBD
The mission of the National Task Force on Election Crises is to ensure a free and fair 2020 presidential election by recommending responses to a range of election crises. The only electoral outcome the Task Force advocates is that the election is free and fair. The National Task Force on Election Crises is a diverse, cross-partisan group of more than 50 experts in election law, election administration, national security, cybersecurity, voting rights, civil rights, technology, media, public health, and emergency response.
National Voter Registration Day
Tuesday, September 22nd in r/politics
National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan civic holiday celebrating our democracy. First observed in 2012, it has quickly gained momentum ever since. Nearly 3 million voters have registered to vote on the holiday to date. Celebrated on the fourth Tuesday of September, National Voter Registration Day will next take place on September 22, 2020.
Secretaries of State Steve Simon (MN) and Kim Wyman (WA)
Joint AMA
Tuesday, September 22nd, at 1:00pm EST in r/politics
Steve Simon is Minnesota’s 22nd Secretary of State. He was sworn into office on January 5, 2015, and as Minnesota’s chief elections administrator pledged in his inaugural address to “work with anyone, of any political affiliation, from any part of our state” to protect, defend, and strengthen the right to vote in Minnesota. As Secretary of State, he partners with township, city, and county officials to organize elections on behalf of Minnesota’s nearly four million eligible voters, and to ensure that the election system is fair.
Kim Wyman is Washington’s 15th Secretary of State. First elected in 2012, she is serving her second term and is the second female Secretary of State in Washington’s history. Prior to being elected to this office, Kim served as Thurston County Elections Director for nearly a decade and was elected Thurston County Auditor from 2001-2013. Secretary Wyman heads one of the most diverse offices in state government.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
Tuesday, September 1st, 2020 in r/politics
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). EAC is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration. EAC also certifies voting systems as well as audits the use of HAVA funds. Learn more about National Poll Worker Recruitment Day here.
Commissioner Benjamin Hovland was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by unanimous consent of the United States Senate on January 2, 2019 to serve on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Commissioner Hovland serves as the Designated Federal Officer for the Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC). Commissioner Hovland’s 20-year career in elections has been shaped by a commitment to improving election administration and removing barriers to voting.
VoteAmerica
TBD
VoteAmerica is a nonprofit organization founded by a small team of elections and technology experts (including the founders of Vote.org and Vote.gov) who have come together to drive voter turnout. VoteAmerica aims to focus outreach to the millions of low and no-propensity voters.