With National Voter Registration Day coming up in a couple of weeks — and national elections in just a couple of months — Food Co-ops across the Northeast are working together to enliven our democracy.
Food Co-ops are more than just a place to find healthy, local food. They are also community hubs, bringing people together to accomplish greater things than they can alone. As enterprises that are democratically governed by their members — the people who shop and work there — co-ops are uniquely positioned to support participation in our democracy. And with important national, state and local elections coming up in November, the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) is proud to partner with National Voter Registration Day again this year, encouraging co-ops across the Northeast to join national celebrations on September 17.
As campaigns heat up, elections this Fall will determine the outcome of questions big and small: from the role of our federal government in issues of social justice, food systems, and climate change to local issues like buying a new ladder truck for the local fire department. Unfortunately, every year millions of eligible voters are unable to cast a ballot because of frustrating stumbling blocks like missed deadlines, outdated information, changing laws, or other easily fixable paperwork problems. As National Voter Registration Day Partners, food co-ops can make sure that voters and soon-to-be voters know that election 2024 is far bigger than the two names at the top of the ballot and help them participate.
From Urban Greens Co-op Market in Rhode Island to Flatbush Food Co-op in Brooklyn, NY, and Franklin Community Co-op in Massachusetts to Hanover Co-op Food Stores in New Hampshire and Vermont, co-ops across the Northeast are spreading the word in social media and organizing locally, providing information tables for voter registration and election information.
“Co-operatives have a long, non-partisan, tradition of empowering our communities,” said Becca White, Public & Government Affairs Associate at Hanover Co-op Food Stores. “Our co-ops don’t work without our members’ voices, and neither does our greater democracy. We’re excited to provide information and improve access to the vote, the most vital form of citizen participation in our nation.”
Co-ops are participating in National Voter Registration Day by:
- Signing up as a National Voter Registration Day Community Partner.
- Promoting #NationalVoterRegistrationDay in social media, encouraging people to get out and vote in November.
- Including a story in their e-news, reminding people to check their registration status.
- Organizing a voter registration table outside .
- Inviting local policymakers to speak at your co-op’s annual meeting or other event.
Strengthening our civic democracy is particularly relevant we look toward the International Year of Co-ops in 2025 and efforts by the global co-operative movement to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Agenda by 2030. A plan of action for “people, planet and prosperity,” the agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, which promotes “peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” Working together, co-ops can enliven democracy and help build more healthy, just, and sustainable food system and an economy that works for everyone.
Share this story in social media or in your e-news and add information about what your co-op has planned for Voter Registration Day. For more information and resources, visit https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org.
