Season of Giving: Using Your Vote to Engage & Advocate

A record number of individuals turned out to vote in the latest United States presidential election – more than 150 million Americans. In our recent civic engagement research, Civic Life Today, 78 percent of respondents said post COVID-19, voting will be more important than ever. Seeing so many people cast their vote as a means of taking action and advocating for their beliefs shows that civic engagement is a continued priority. 

As we celebrate this milestone in history, Points of Light wants to thank and uplift the volunteers that made the election process safe and efficient. Democracy depends on ordinary people who ensure that elections run smoothly and that every vote is counted. If you know someone in your life who volunteered this election cycle, thank them for their service and for being an essential worker for democracy.  

Although the election is over, there are still ways you can engage and help others get involved: 

• Stay informed about local issues. While presidential and midterm elections garner the most media attention, there are critical votes in local communities from school board budgets to town council members. Don’t forget to participate in these critical elections in your community.  
• Equip others to get involved. Sharing nonpartisan resources and information about upcoming elections and policy issues equips voters with essential information about the voting process. Organizations like When We All Vote, Civic Alliance, and The League of Women Voters encourages informed and active participation in government and distributes free, nonpartisan educational materials for all voters.  
• Volunteer. You can still become a volunteer poll worker, letter-writer or phone banker for the runoff elections that will be held over the next couple months and for local elections in the future. Check out our election resources for more information on all the ways you can get involved, inside and outside of your home.  

At Points of Light, we believe that every individual should be able to live their most civically engaged life, and voting is an important piece of that. Thank you to all the voters, volunteers and elected officials who ensure the voice of the people is heard during elections.