NAACP Launches “Power of 5 – Community Voter Outreach Program” For National Black Voter Day and National Voter Registration Day
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2020
Media Contact:
Grace Gill Qayoumi
510-853-9034
No-contact canvassing and literature drop program aims to raise awareness of key dates and share information on voting
On Friday, the NAACP, the nation's largest and most highly recognized civil rights organization, will launch the Power of 5 – Community Voter Outreach Program – a new information-sharing initiative on voting that is part of the first-ever National Black Voter Day on September 18, 2020, and National Voter Registration Day on September 22, 2020.
The program will launch on Friday and run for five days (the Power of 5) through Tuesday across 15 cities in 13 states and the Nation's Capital. Through the 5-day field program, NAACP volunteers will distribute informational literature on voting in public areas such as shopping centers and neighborhoods that have high concentrations of Black residents. The literature will feature important information on voter registration, key dates, the 2020 census deadline, and the volunteer program for the NAACP's Black Voices Change Lives campaign.
"With just seven weeks away from what will be a historic election, getting the word out to the Black community and mobilizing voters has never been more important or necessary," said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. "The Power of 5 program aims to inform, engage and empower Black voters and make sure they have the tools and resources they need to make their voices heard at the ballot – because quite simply, our lives depend on it."
The program will run in the following cities:
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Washington, DC
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Orlando, Florida
- Statesboro, Georgia
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Detroit, Michigan
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Greensboro, North Carolina
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Monroeville, Pennsylvania
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Houston, Texas
- Hampton, Virginia
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The program will be a "no-contact canvassing" initiative. All volunteers will follow recommended health and safety guidelines by wearing face masks, washing hands or using hand sanitizer frequently, and practicing social distancing. Volunteers will only distribute printed materials on cars and to individuals who are also wearing appropriate face masks.
Black Voices Change Lives is an unprecedented initiative by the NAACP to recruit high-propensity Black voters to mobilize low-frequency Black voters to vote in the November election. The campaign aims to increase the Black voter turnout by at least five percent compared to the 2016 Black voter turnout.
For more information on the "Black Voices Change Lives" campaign, visit the website.
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About NAACP
Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.
In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP.
NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but separated in 1957 to become a completely separate entity. It is recognized as the nation's first civil and human rights law organization, and shares our commitment to equal rights.