Reddit CEO Encourages Users To Register To Vote On National Voter Registration Day


Are you registered to vote? If not, the CEO of Reddit is urging you to register as soon as possible.

September 27, 2016, was National Voter Registration Day, and in order to catch the attention of all “redditors,” the website’s CEO issued a message to all users. The message popped up as soon as Reddit loaded and explained the importance of voting during the presidential election. Read the entire message, posted to Reddit, below.

“To all US redditors,

Today is National Voter Registration Day in the United States. Voting is easy; it’s important; and it’s a privilege. Unlike on Reddit, voting in real life actually matters. If you want to influence how our country is run, voting is one of the most effective things you can do.

It takes only a few minutes, and you can do it online. You have many options: voteplz, which has a nice voting guide, vote.gov, the official government site, hello.vote, which works via SMS, vote.org, or rockthevote.com.

Whether you are a donkey, elephant, centipede, or human, take a moment to make sure you are registered. Reddit will still be here when you get back.

u/spez, Reddit CEO”

The idea behind National Voter Registration Day is to increase participation during the election, which will take place on November 8, 2016. According to Education Votes, National Voter Registration Day, which was established in 2002, also increases awareness of the state requirements and deadlines for voting. In 2008, 6 million Americans failed to vote during the election because they missed the registration deadline or they weren’t sure how to register. While some states will allow people to register up until the day of the election, the majority have a deadline in early to mid October. To check to see when your state’s deadline is, click here.

“Now is the time to make sure that you are signed up and your registration information is up-to-date,” Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill, president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, said. “Make sure that getting ready to vote is part of your back-to-work or back-to-school routine.”

The White House issued a presidential proclamation on Tuesday to mark the day.

“One of the most fundamental and sacred rights of any democracy is the right to vote; in order for our government to function effectively and respond to the needs of our people, all citizens can and must play a role in shaping it,” President Barack Obama said.

“Democracy is not a spectator sport. If we are serious about improving our country and ensuring our government reflects our values, we cannot afford to sit out on Election Day,” he added. “Unfortunately, among those who are eligible to vote, too many choose not to — far too many people disenfranchise themselves by not getting involved. When we do not take full advantage of the right to vote, we not only give away our voice; our power; our ability to shape the future of the country we love — we also do a disservice to the generations of Americans before us who risked everything, including their lives, to protect this fundamental aspect of our Republic.”

If you are not registered to vote, the process of registering is surprisingly simple. As Reddit’s CEO pointed out, there are several websites you can visit to register that will walk you through the process step-by-step.

What do you think about the CEO of Reddit taking the time to persuade users to vote? Leave your comments below.

[Featured Image by 3dfoto/ Shutterstock]

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