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Motion of the Council of Allegheny County recognizing the importance of National Voter Registration Day, and calling upon on every individual who is eligible to vote within Allegheny County, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the United States to register to vote and participate in the electoral process to the greatest extent possible, and to aid in conveying the fundamental importance of voting to all of their fellow Americans.
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WHEREAS, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) established the first National Voter Registration Day on September 25, 2012; and
WHEREAS, in 2014, the NASS established the Fourth Tuesday of September as the official day for National Voter Registration Day; and
WHEREAS, more than 300,000 Americans registered to vote in the inaugural day the observance in 2012, and that number jumped to 800,000 in 2018; and
WHEREAS, National Voter Registration Day helps to ensure eligible voters register in their districts each year, with the awareness campaign providing valuable information for each state; and
WHEREAS, hundreds of local, state and national organizations assist in informing the public about the day, with partner organizations coordinating thousands of public events to bring awareness about ballot initiatives, local elections, and voter registration; and
WHEREAS, election officials have helped champion the holiday with formal support from the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and the National Association of Election Officials (Election Center); and
WHEREAS, at the Congressional level, Republican Senator Roy Blunt and Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar joined forces to pass a bipartisan Senate resolution recognizing the holiday and its importance in 2018; and
WHEREAS, in the words of Senator Klobuchar, “[v]oting is the best way for the American people to ensure their elected leaders are held accountable, and we should be doing everything we can to strengthen this right. Our country is stronger when everyone participates in our democracy which is why I am encouraging people to register to vote and make their voices heard at the ballot box.”; and
WHEREAS, in the words of Senator Blunt; “[e]very election is an opportunity for Americans to participate in a tradition that has made our democracy one of the strongest and most admired in the world. Elections also give voters the ability to make sure their priorities are reflected in local, state, and national agendas. I urge all eligible voters to take the steps necessary to ensure they’re ready to cast their ballot in the upcoming elections.”; and
WHEREAS, as eloquently summarized by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, "[g]overnments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."; and
WHEREAS, organizations that have previously partnered in increasing public awareness of Voter Registration Day include the Alliance for Youth Organizing, American Library Association, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, The Andrew Goodman Foundation, Anonymous Content, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, APIA Vote, Arab American Institute, Creative Artists Agency, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Center Link, Country Music Television, CO-OPS Vote, Democracy Fund, Democracy Works, eBay, National Association of Election Officials, Every Library, Facebook, Fair Elections Center, Google, Headcount, Higher Heights, Independent Sector, League of Women Voters, Military Officers Association of America, MTV, NALEO Education Fund, National Association of Secretaries of State, National Association of State Election Directors, National Council of Nonprofits, National Disability Rights Network, National Urban League, New Leaders Council, Nonprofit VOTE, Reddit, Comic Relief, RISE, Rock the Vote, Snap Inc., Students Learn Students Vote, Turbo Vote, Tumblr, Twitter, United Way, Vote.org, Voto Latino, Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, U.S. Elections Assistance Commission, Univision, Viacom, When We All Vote, VH1, and YWCA; and
WHEREAS, it is the judgment of Council that the highest ideals of representative democracy are served when as many individuals as possible register to vote and participate in the electoral process, and that the importance of participation transcends any concept of partisanship or ideological affiliation;
The Council of the County of Allegheny therefore hereby moves as follows:
Council hereby recognizes the importance of National Voter Registration Day and calls on every individual who is eligible to vote within Allegheny County, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the United States to register to vote and participate in the electoral process to the greatest extent possible, and to aid in conveying the fundamental importance of voting to all of their fellow Americans.