Grassroots Organizing with the Music Community and Fans: An Interview with HeadCount Director Andy Bernstein

HighRes_Logo_20120814_94734Ask someone who goes to a lot of concerts what the organization HeadCount is, or what it does, and they’ll probably say it’s a voter registration organization. Ask HeadCount co-Founder and Executive Director Andy Bernstein the same question, and you’ll get a very different answer.  He’ll also tell you about voter registration, of course, but in almost in the same breath he’ll make sure you understand that’s not all they do.

He’s understandably very proud of HeadCount’s success with voter registration, registering over 250,000 people in their short history. That’s an incredible accomplishment, but it is only part of their mission.  He’s equally very proud of the organization’s role as the “grassroots organizing arm of the live music community.”  He believes passionately in the potential of music to affect positive change through grassroots efforts and effective use of the political system.  That, to my mind, is the new and innovative aspect of HeadCount’s vision.

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Register to Vote! Preserve your Options!

Jason Mraz urges you to “Register to Vote”


Sometimes when I ask people to register to vote they express frustration with the political system, dissatisfaction the candidates that are running, anger at the role of money in politics, or some other annoyance. Because of these things they say that they’re not sure they want to vote at all. I certainly understand the frustration, but voter registration deadlines are upon us.
As they come I urge you to remember one thing: If you register to vote before the deadline, you still have until election day to decide if you actually want to cast a ballot. If you don’t, you’ve closed the door. You will not be able to vote, no matter how much you feel like you want to come election day.  Obviously it is the Presidential elections that are getting most of the attention, but they are not all that’s going to be on your ballot.
In addition to House, Senate and Presidential races, there are state and local races, as well as local and state ballot initiatives. For example, let’s say you you are a Massachusetts resident who has strong feelings about the legalization of marijuana. Medical marijuana is the subject of a statewide ballot question, but it is not getting a great deal of coverage. In fact, I’m noticing many people don’t realize it’s on the ballot at all. Should those who care about the issue come to realize that the question is there before the election, they will be able to voice their opinion and potentially make a difference only if they have registered before their state’s deadline. If not, they are out of luck, except in the few states that offer Election Day registration.
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Happy National Voter Registration Day!

Sharon Jones says “Register to Vote”


Tomorrow is National Voter Registration Day and volunteers all over the country will be out in communities helping people be sure they are registered to vote in the upcoming elections.  In this photo Sharon Jones urges you to take advantage of the opportunity provided by Head Count volunteers with clipboards.
She’s an amazing artist.  Listen to her singing “This Land is Your Land” here. Then check out some of the many photos of Rock Stars and celebrities urging you to get out and vote at these links:

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