National Voter Registration Day: A push to boost voter engagement

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – It’s National Voter Registration Day, a nationwide effort to encourage people to register to vote.

Every year, millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they missed the registration deadline.

National Voter Registration Day aims to make sure anyone who wants to cast a ballot doesn’t miss their chance on Election Day.

Tuesday’s event is the country’s largest single-day voter registration drive.

The day was first observed in 2012 and has since grown in popularity — more than 5 million Americans have registered to vote on National Voter Registration Day.

The goal is also to raise awareness of state-specific voter registration, educate voters and round up enthusiasm for political participation.

Twenty-seven percent of unregistered voters reported not being registered because they didn’t know how.

Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., there is a registration event at the Chatham County Voter Registration Annex.

“This is an opportunity to come and see somebody face to face. Ask those questions that you might be shy about asking regarding the voting process, and about the registration process,” said Colin Mcrae, chairman of the Chatham County Board of Registrars. “We really want to see an uptick in voting registration to make sure there is a robust vote in Chatham County this upcoming November election.”

Don’t forget… you need to update your registration for several reasons, such as moving or changing your name. Not doing this will prevent your ability to vote.

Currently, Chatham County has over 200,000 active voters and over 33,000 inactive voters; around 15% of voters in our county are not registered.

In the last presidential election, more than 1.5 million voters registered to vote on National Voter Registration Day.

Turnout for Chatham County in the 2020 election was 70%. Officials hope to see an increase this November election.

Visit nationalvoterregistrationday.org to register to vote or check your registration.