The Center for Tech and Civic Life is honored to join a national group of partners representing media companies, nonprofits, technology platforms, election administrators, foundations, influencers, and other businesses is collaborating to create Vote Early Day, the first holiday designed to help all eligible voters learn about their voting options and celebrate the act of voting early.

The national event is set for Saturday, October 24 when the majority of states have in-person early voting options and most voters will still have enough time to request absentee ballots for Election Day.

Vote Early Day is a collaborative, open-source model – similar to Giving Tuesday and National Voter Registration Day – which will help ensure that millions more Americans take advantage of their options to vote early. Over 200 million Americans can now vote early in some way. While nearly all Americans can vote early, there is some confusion about options, especially as election laws continue to change.

“At CTCL we’re committed to connecting Americans with the information they need to become and remain civically engaged, and ensuring that our elections are more professional, inclusive, and secure.” Whitney May, CTCL co-founder and Director of Government Services says, “Vote Early Day is an opportunity to invite more people to participate in elections while also helping to minimize last-minute administrative or logistical problems that can arise when people wait until Election Day to vote.”

Voting early simplifies processes for election administrators, makes it easier for people juggling family and work responsibilities to participate, and keeps lines shorter on Election Day. Celebrating Vote Early Day will make it easier for voters to understand their options and could create a tipping point in how Americans vote.

“Seven million Georgia voters are currently casting their votes early on the Peach State’s new verifiable, paper-ballot voting system. Georgia voter registration has surged thanks to what has been described as the gold standard in ballot access policy, including automatic voter registration and no-excuse absentee balloting. Now, a record number of Georgians are able to enjoy the state’s three-week early voting period. I look forward to working with MTV, the Democracy Fund, and the National Disability Rights Network as well as other partners in government and the private sector to support the Vote Early Day effort,” said Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

A group of over 65 premier partners is committed to activating their constituents and employees on Vote Early Day, including ViacomCBS and Snap, Inc. as well as The League of Women Voters and National League of Cities. The holiday also includes an Election Administrator Advisory Board, which is helmed by Sec. Brad Raffensperger (R-GA) and Sec. Alex Padilla (D-CA), and a Steering Committee of brands and nonprofits that are driving the strategy and planning. Companies and organizations can inquire about participating in Vote Early Day at voteearlyday.org.