In America, voters are supposed to pick our leaders — not officials who purge rolls without notice, redraw the rules mid-game, or throw out results they don't like. That's why showing up matters: voting, driving neighbors, staffing the polls, watching the count. The civic holiday is a day you give to defend that. If you've voted, help someone else. Make it visible. Make it loud. Make it impossible to steal.
Most of us — across races, places, and parties — believe the same basic thing: voters should pick our leaders, and every vote that's cast should be counted. That's not a partisan position. It's the foundation.
And yet: across the country, eligible voters are being wiped from rolls without warning. New requirements — passports, birth certificates, proof of citizenship — are being added that are specifically harder for working people, elderly Americans, people with disabilities, and Black and Brown communities to produce. Polling locations in those same communities are being reduced or moved. Mail-in voting, a lifeline for millions, is under sustained pressure. This isn't about making elections more trustworthy. It's about controlling who gets to participate — so the people doing it can stay in power.
A civic holiday is our answer — and it's a practical one. When millions of us show up to vote, drive neighbors to the polls, staff polling places, and witness the count, we make it much harder to keep people from voting and much harder to manipulate what happens after. Showing up in numbers is a form of protection. It's also a celebration. It's voting as defiance, as joy, and as community — all at once.
If you've already voted, you're not done. Help someone else. That's what Hands off our vote looks like in practice.
Six coordinated actions to make sure voters pick our leaders — and every vote cast gets counted. The civic holiday is Step 4. Each step builds on the others.
Each of the people's election playbooks starts with this: get with at least 3 people to act with you. Because this is more than just getting out the vote. This includes reminding people why their vote is precious, debunking the lies and filth that's coming, and participating in efforts like Freedom Summer.
At stake: In 2024, approximately 89 million eligible voters in the United States didn't vote. That's more people than votes received by either major-party candidate. If "none of the above" was a candidate, they would have won — which is why we have to reach out to them.
In her essay Ash-Lee Henderson describes three core reasons people don't vote:
A civic holiday is simple: how can you play your civic duty? Here are some ideas. If you're stuck, go to Ground Control to find ways to plug in near you.
Three things. That's it.
That's the civic holiday. Not a day off — a day on. Voting is how we impact our lives. Every eligible American deserves equal say in the decisions that shape them. Let's make sure that's what actually happens.
Mail-in and early voting are fully supported — every way you vote is a way to protect our vote.
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If you run a business, there are two easy, nonpartisan ways to make sure your employees can fully participate on Election Day — and signal that a healthy democracy is good for business.
A nonpartisan business coalition — founded by Patagonia, PayPal, and Levi Strauss — where CEOs sign a pledge that no employee has to choose between a paycheck and voting. Over 2,000 companies have joined. Now part of the Civic Alliance.
Sign the Pledge →A growing coalition of business owners pledging to inform employees of their voting rights, publicly oppose efforts to prevent people from voting, and — if election results are not honored — close their businesses in defense of free and democratic elections.
Sign the Pledge →These organizations and companies are committing to the Civic Holiday — giving workers time to participate and supporting their communities on Election Day.
Want your organization listed here? Get in touch →
Everything you need to vote, protect your registration, volunteer, and organize — in one place.
Voter rolls are being purged. Check now, check again 30 days before. Do it with your people — right now, on your phone.
vote.org →Sign up as a poll worker or election monitor. Training is short, most jurisdictions pay a stipend, and your presence matters enormously.
866OurVote.org →Browse election protection volunteer opportunities in your area — poll workers, observers, GOTV canvassers, and more.
Ground Control →Register your group early voting event. Souls to the Polls. Parties at the polls. Go together, be visible, share it.
voteearlyday.org →Find nonpartisan voter guides for your state and local races — so you walk in knowing exactly what's on your ballot.
guides.vote →Find your local organizing chapter or sign up for voter mobilization campaigns reaching the 89 million who sat out last time.
indivisible.org → whenweallvote.org →