The Roots Headlining Why Tuesday? Voting Campaign Concert
With their new “Let’s Fix It” campaign, non-profit group Why Tuesday? is aiming to rally the public and Congress toward fixing a broken voting system – one which currently ranks 138th out of 172 nations in terms of voter turnout. To raise awareness for the cause, the organization has announced a nationwide contest offering $64,000 to the individual who comes closest to guessing the national voter turnout numbers for the 2014 midterm election. On November 2nd, Why Tuesday? is also hosting the New York City kick-off concert-rally Let’s Fix it Get Out ALL of the Vote, which includes a headlining performance from the Roots.
“We are asking the $64,000 question, because people don’t realize just how low our voter turnout is,” Why Tuesday? co-founder William Wachtel said in a statement. “It’s not because Americans don’t care. It’s simply that an antiquated system makes it hard for people who do care to vote. Everyone agrees it’s broken, everyone agrees that there are practical ways to fix it, so the only challenge is to get our elected leaders to finally do something about it.”
To enter the contest, participants are asked to predict the national percentage of voter turnout; the person who submits the closest prediction will win the $64,000 cash prize. The contest is open to individuals at least 18 years old residing in the U.S.
NYU is challenging its students to participate for the opportunity to win a scholarship equivalent to one semester at the university. Why Tuesday? will also offer a selection of tickets to NYU for the rally, which will kick off November 2nd at 7:30 p.m. at Webster Hall.
Both the concert and contest are part of a larger Why Tuesday? campaign, launched ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act on August 6th, 2015. Supporters can help spread the word through social media by using the hashtag #FIXITNOW.
“The problem is that our elected officials don’t want to get out all of the vote; they want to get out their vote,” said Why Tuesday? Chairman Andrew Young. “We look at it differently. We have Republicans, Democrats and independents coming together to say the system is broken and we need to fix it.”