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ICYMI: LCVEF Invested in Innovative Visibility Campaign to Increase Voter Turnout in Historically Excluded Communities

Nov 28, 2022

Mika Hyer, mhyer@lcv.org, 940-783-2230

Washington, D.C. — In case you missed it, the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund’s Democracy for All program announced a nearly million dollar investment in an innovative, artist- and community-driven nonpartisan GOTV visibility campaign in key states across the country to increase voter turnout in communities historically facing barriers to the ballot box. By reaching historically excluded voters, especially young voters and young voters in communities of color, through vibrant art created by local artists, the campaign engaged voters through bus stops, billboards, lawn signs, and posters distributed throughout neighborhoods, in addition to erecting interactive art installations at community events across the country. 

LCVEF’s Democracy for All program has continued to change the culture of democracy by energizing communities to get involved in the civic engagement process through innovative and engaging art — particularly in communities that are too often historically excluded from the electoral process, including Black, Latinos, Indigenous people, immigrant communities and communities of color who are also disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis.

Art in Historically Excluded Communities Across the Country:

LCVEF worked with our state partners and local artists to create art, inspiring community voting power by placing posters in neighborhoods at bus stops, on billboards, and on yard signs distributed in areas historically excluded from voter registration efforts in Atlanta, GA; Chicago, Illinois; Las Vegas, NV; Detroit, MI; Philadelphia, PA, and Milwaukee, WI. We also worked with our affiliate in North Carolina to create a permanent mural. See some of the art from around the country below!:

Yard signs spelling “VOTE” in Philadelphia, PA.

Wall of wheatpaste posters in a Southside Chicago neighborhood.

Billboard outside of Atlanta, GA.

Yard signs encouraging Indigenous voters to “SkoVoteDen!” and to “Vote for the 7th Generation” along road in WI| Bus stop sign in Spanish in Las Vegas, NV

Yard signs in Philadelphia, PA. 

In addition, in Raleigh, North Carolina, Power The Vote NC worked with muralist artist @miztarious to create a mural inspiring community members to remember that “Our Vote is Power”.  

Interactive Art Installations at Community GOTV Events

In addition to our poster visibility campaign, DFA worked with Las Vegas artist Cerissa Lopez to commission an interactive community mural celebrating democracy, which allowed family members of all ages to participate in filling the mural with color. 

“Art is a tool to convey a message that goes beyond speech, language barriers, age and time.  As a child, I always gravitated towards bright colors and intricate visuals, so I love to create works with palettes that are appealing to the younger generation in hopes to inspire them to create,” said artist Cerissa Lopez. “Voting and participating in civic engagement is something every citizen should prioritize to build power within their communities, and I couldn’t think of a better way to contribute to the cause than inspiring people of all ages to vote with my art.”

These interactive murals were placed at our community events across the country — see a few highlights from Nevada in our pre-election memo and more from Get Out the Vote below!:

In Miami, Florida, Democracy for All-Florida hosted a GOTV event to “Dance to the Polls” and help community members make a plan to vote with music and dancing, where people of all ages participated in coloring in a mural to celebrate democracy. Florida Conservation Voters Education Fund engages young voters through their Democracy For All FL program and Democracy For Youth DeFY Curriculum, aiming to provide exposure and education to youth on the democratic process geared towards ages 18 and younger, especially in historically disenfranchised communities, in order to increase civic engagement when they are eligible to vote.

In Detroit, Michigan, Democracy for All-Michigan hosted a family-oriented GOTV event at a community center with music, face painting, games like potato sack races, and even a martial arts demonstration (where community members could take out some of their pre-election stress!), in addition to their interactive art installation. This fall, DFA-MI has engaged students in high schools and colleges with public education seminars to energize youth to participate in the civic engagement process and vote when they turn 18.

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, NCLCV Foundation’s Power The Vote NC team hosted a GOTV event with the interactive mural, featuring live music and performances from local artists including Reggie Buie Jazz group, DJ Energizer, in addition to Chris Feed and Shiloh, who are young musicians also working as community organizers with Power The Vote NC to encourage their peers to take part in the electoral process and make sure their voice is heard in their local elections. In addition, community members added their hopes for democracy to a wishing tree in the park, which was especially significant as the local community is working to reclaim the neighborhood park as a safe place for families to gather. NCLCV Foundation-Power The Vote NC is working across North Carolina to register young voters and engage Black communities and communities of color, who face systemic barriers to the ballot box and are the same communities seeing some of the worst impacts from the climate crisis. 

In Allentown, Pennsylvania, Democracy for All PennFuture hosted a GOTV event focused in Latino communities to highlight “The Art of Community Action,” with family activities, including face painting and the mural installation where children and community members of all ages gathered to color. As the largest voter registration organization in the Lehigh Valley, DFA PennFuture is improving access to and trust in our democracy, so communities traditionally left out of the decision making process can make sure their voices are heard at the ballot box.

LCVEF is building on past work to strengthen the culture around our democracy through art, in addition to our 2022 multi-state voter engagement program to register eligible voters and invest in communities historically excluded from widespread national voter engagement efforts, including Indigenous communities, communities of color, and communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. LCVEF has led efforts in multiple states in 2021, including Nevada, North Carolina & Pennsylvania, and has a 10-year history of work to engage communities in the electoral process, leading to more than 1.5 million registered voters across the country. 

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About LCVEF:

The League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (LCVEF) envisions a world in which tackling the climate crisis, confronting environmental injustice, and strengthening our democracy, leading to cleaner and healthier communities, good, well-paying jobs, and a more just, equitable, and sustainable planet for all.  

LCVEF works to expand voter participation, advocates for policy change, engages in public education, mobilizes, organizes, and builds grassroots power in communities,  and partners with and supports the Conservation Voters Movement (CVM) and allies. 

For more information, please visit www.lcvef.org.