By: Eden Burnett, FestForums | November 2, 2026
Festivals are all about community. And one of the most important ways to show up for one’s community is to be civically engaged with the issues and policies affecting your area. The easiest way to do that? Vote!
Music, community, and activism have always gone hand in hand, and on this election day we’d like to highlight two organizations, both previously featured at FestForums, that are working to bring civic engagement and voter registration to the forefront of the festival space.
General voter turnout rates in the US bounce between about 60% for presidential elections and 40% for midterms (Ballotpedia), with youth rates historically much lower than other age groups, making festivals and concerts a great place to meet an underrepresented demographic.
HeadCount has been active at concerts and festivals across the US since 2004, registering over 1.7 million new voters. Their mission is to meet young people at concerts and festivals to register them to vote and help them take actions to support democracy. You can find HeadCount at major festivals like Outside Lands, Austin City Limits, Ohana Festival, Camp Flog Gnaw, and more, having registered voters at over 1,000 festivals since its inception. HeadCount relies on volunteers to attend festivals and concerts across the country to register voters, all while getting to attend these amazing events for free. FestForums was lucky enough to have Tim Bramlette, Senior Director of Partnerships & Marketing at HeadCount speak at FestForums in 2024, giving industry leaders insight into HeadCount’s mission and successes. Just like we want young people to become lifelong festival supporters, HeadCount is helping them become lifelong voters.
Similarly, #iVoted Concerts and Festivals brings the music to voters by offering free concerts across the country during election season with proof of voting. Those ineligible to vote can share when they will be able to or why they are excited to attend the concert. Ahead of the 2024 election, FestForums sat down with #iVoted founder, Emily White, to discuss the organization's strategies and impacts. According to a study conducted at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), #iVoted concerts and festivals increase voter turnout by 7%, a big impact compared to most other civic engagement efforts. By using industry data from Chartmetric, they are able to determine popular artists in specific cities to incentivize the most concert attendance and voter participation.
These organizations are just a couple of examples of how the festival and music industries can use their platforms to support voter engagement and democracy in communities across the country. Our festivals are nothing without the communities that support them, so consider making social responsibility opportunities a feature at your next event. Or better yet, lead by example with your vote today!
Happy Voting from FestForums!