Emily White on starting the #iVotedFestival
Our Editor In Chief, Lucy Ivey sat down with entrepreneur and music industry professional, Emily White to talk about her newest initiative the #iVotedFestival. Check out their conversation below.
LI: Tell us about yourself! And #ivotedfestival
EW: I'm a longtime entrepreneur in the music industry, an Amazon #1 best-selling author and host the #1 Music Business podcast globally. #iVoted Festival increases voter turnout by producing record-breaking webcasts and activating entertainment venues to let fans in who show a selfie from outside their polling place or at home with a blank and unmarked ballot. We're a non-partisan data-driven 501(c)3 non-profit, run by women, that books the top trending artists and talent in key states whose electoral margins are often decided by the size of a concert venue.
LI: How did you become passionate about this?
EW: I'm originally from Wisconsin; a state that was decided in the 2016 presidential election by roughly 22,000 votes. It was decided next door in Michigan that year by roughly 10,000 votes. I'd read that voter turnout was down in my home city of Milwaukee and thought, "22,000 is our basketball arena. Why don't we produce a concert to fill it and tie in voting?" I've since learned of senate races decided by roughly 300 votes, which is the size of a club. As well as congressional races decided by six votes - a margin in which you and I doing this interview are 1/3 of. It was ultimately contextualizing that electoral margins are often decided by the size of concert venues and growing that concept from there.
LI: What was the process of creating “iVoted Festival”
EW: It started with just myself and an intern in 2018 activating over 150 concert venues in 37 states to let fans in on election night who showed a selfie from outside their polling place. The idea caught fire with artists like Jim James, Playboi Carti and Maggie Rogers all participating. I was planning for a big 2020 by holding arenas in key states, when of course the pandemic hit. We pivoted and produced the largest digital concert in history. Fans RSVP'd to access our election night webcast of 450+ artists including Billie Eilish, Trey Anastasio and Living Colour with a selfie at home with their blank and unmarked ballot or from outside their polling place. We quickly followed up and produced #iVoted Festival Georgia in January of 2021, with the same concept for the special election that determined control of the U.S. Senate. We're of course back for 2022 and also launched the #iVoted Early Sweepstakes this year in which fans entered to win tickets to 600+ shows nationwide by submitting their selfie criteria, with all entries RSVP'd for our election night webcast featuring A Conversation with W. Kamau Bell & Tom Morello, Billie Eilish, Run the Jewels, Steph Curry, CNCO, Rise Against, OK Go, Lake Street Dive and so much more.
LI: Why did you decide to partner with musicians to create this?
EW: I've worked in music for 20 years or so and this work is an extension of my and our team's skills and relationships. The #iVoted concept is certainly not limited to music as we're continuing to expand deeper into sports, comedy and more. But music is our core and Billboard kindly pointed out that young people in the U.S. are more likely to attend live music events (63% millennials) than vote (35.6% for 18-29). #iVoted bridges this gap by meeting potential voters where they're already at, based on the data of what they're listening to and actively engaging with.
LI: Why is it important to encourage young individuals to register to vote?
EW: Without registration young people, and anyone, can't vote. So voter registration work is crucial, but it's half the battle. We're focused on solving the problem of voter turnout - what it takes to get folks out the door and to take the time to actually turnout and vote.
LI: Why is voter registration especially with gen z-ers so important?
EW: It's easy to get busy and overwhelmed with school, work, life and all of the above. It's crucial that gen z and all ages take the time to register and check their registration for sure. But the final and most impactful step is to turnout and actually vote as the issues we're deciding on - from reproductive rights to the environment to democracy itself (!) will gen z and us all for decades to come.
LI: What can we do to get more involved in the movement of voter registration?
EW: There are great organizations like When We All Vote and HeadCount that do an amazing job with voter registration that folks can volunteer with. We're partners with both and donating to #iVoted Festival helps us to statistically increase voter turnout. We're led by a 100% C-Suite of women that oversees a team that's 92% BIPOC, women, non-binary or LGBTQ+, so funding can be tough, but I'm proud that we're growing and deepening our impact on each election. At the same time, if there's an issue or candidate you feel passionately about, donating your time to door knocking, sending out texts and more can be the difference that puts your candidate and issues over the top. The last thing anyone wants to feel is looking back and knowing they could've done more when the election is said and done. I'll say one thing - focusing my time on voter turnout lowers my anxiety. As this is what I can do to increase voter turnout and if we all lend a hand, it'll at least support our collective mental health - while simultaneously creating the world that you want to see for yourself and others.
LI: Where can people find out more about #iVotedFestival
EW: Head over to https://ivoted.mandolin.com/ to RSVP and join us and 300+ artists, comedians, athletes and more at our election night webcast. We look forward to seeing you there to celebrate all things voting!
