In most states around the country, you can let your voice be heard at the voting booth way before Election Day on November 3, 2020. To spread the word, BET, MTV, Twitter, Secretaries of State, Snap Inc., PayPal and over 65 major brands and nonprofits are joining forces to support a new way of celebrating your constitutional right on Vote Early Day on Saturday, October 24.

According to a recent press release, celebrating Vote Early Day “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.”

However, with ever-changing election laws and rampant voter suppression, confusion still remains about how and where citizens can vote early. By celebrating Vote Early Day with crucial partnerships, the power and convenience of voting early will be better explained and highlighted.
Related: Sen. Kamala Harris Endorses BET’s #ReclaimYourVote Campaign To End Voter Suppression
Najma Roberts, Director of Communications, Democracy Fund, said in a statement, "The 2020 election is already seeing record levels of interest. Voting early this year is a way to be sure your own ballot counts and it helps keep lines short for everyone else on Election Day. Vote Early Day is exactly the kind of collaborative approach to educating voters we champion.”

There are tons of benefits to voting early. Not only can you avoid the longer lines on Election Day, but for those who are shift workers or have challenges with childcare, two factors that are common in lower economic, communities of color, having some flexibility with executing your civic responsibility can truly come in handy. 

In 2020, Black voters have the power to change the course of history with high voter turnout. Sadly, four years ago, Black voter turnout in the presidential election slumped for the first time in 20 years, falling to 59.6% according to Census data after reaching a record-high 66.6% in 2012. In 2008 and 2012, Black voters turned out at a higher rate than white voters and helped to elect our first Black president, Barack Obama Voting early and the campaign behind voting early could allow Black voters to make history -- once again.
In-person early voting exists in 33 U.S. states and in the District of Columbia (DC). To find out if your state qualifies and for additional information, visit voteearlyday.org.