Michigan drag queens enlisted to help get Michiganders to the polls in virtual event
‘Drag Out the Vote’ aims to engage more young people, women, and low-income voters in midterm elections
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A virtual event this Thursday aims to get more people registered to vote in the midterm elections in Michigan — with the help of local drag queens.
Community Change Action will host "Drag Out the Vote" on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. featuring performances by Michigan queens Jadein Black, Crystal Harding, Maxi Chanel, and Mercedes Alexzandria.
There will also be panels on early and mail-in voting with Michigan Liberation and the Michigan People’s Campaign.
“We want to make sure people know all of their options, that they can vote early by mail or in person,” senior electoral organizer of Community Change Action Mike Griffin says.
Saturday, Sept. 24 is the first day to vote early in person in Michigan.
On choosing to enlist the help of local queens for the event, Griffin says he doesn't know any entertainer that puts on a better show.
“They are the best performers that can draw a diverse group of people, whether you’re gay, straight, or somewhere in between — people appreciate these performers and we thought it would be a good way to connect with people who are apathetic to voting,” Griffin says. “Attacks are happening all around us with abortion rights, attacks on the LGBT community and on drag queens, but we wanted to just stay positive and host a fun event to get people engaged.”
Drag Out the Vote hopes to increase engagement among young, BIPOC, women, and low-income residents, demographics that are often less likely to show up at the polls.
The event will also include discussions on the Inflation Reduction Act and the student loan relief package President Joe Biden announced in August.
Drag Out the Vote will be live streamed on Community Change Action’s Facebook and YouTube pages, but Griffin encourages people to register in advance online. By pre-registering, attendees will be entered into a $100 gift card raffle and receive a reminder for the event.
More information is available at communitychangeaction.org.
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