Ty Segall, Boygenius, Playboi Carti, & More Offering Free Concert Tickets For Voters
Voters can score free entry to concerts from Drive-By Truckers, Playboi Carti and indie supergroup Boygenius on election day just by doing their civic duty. Voter turnout initiative #iVoted has secured free tickets for 78 events across 32 states and counting for Tuesday Nov. 6, the day of midterm elections in the United States.
After the dismal turnout in the 2016 presidential elections, entrepreneur and long-time artist manager Emily White decided to use her connections in music to drum up more enthusiasm for election days. White quickly found support from Madison House’s Mike Luba and Pat Sansone of Wilco and The Autumn Defense, who all teamed up to create #iVoted.
Their efforts have garnered free tickets and shows from Iron & Wine, Alynda Segarra from Hurray For the Riff Raff, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Toro y Moi, Ty Segall, Good Charlotte, Yelle, Living Colour, Low Cut Connie and more.
The first 50 folks who show up with a photo outside their polling place will receive entry into the Drive-By Trucker’s Election Night show at the Saturn in Birmingham, Alabama. “The reason that is particularly significant is that it is obviously their hometown market,” says White. “For them to take a financial hit is amazing.”
Each of the initiative’s participating shows will have anywhere between 50-200 free tickets for fans who can provide similar photos of themselves outside their own polling places. For events that already provide free entry, voters will get free drinks for the same proof.
Early voters are also being encouraged to participate. Whether you physically vote at a polling place or mail in a ballot, early voters are being asked to post a photo of proof on Instagram and tag the venue and @ivotedconcerts to be entered into a drawing for their local show. Entries will be collected by #iVoted and announced the same day.
“We’re going to be able to show that ‘x’ amount of people showed up to these shows, at ‘x’ amount of venues in ‘x’ amount of states,” says White, who adds that artists and event producers are already seasoned promoters. “The fact they are promoting election day and reminding people to vote means the world to me. That has a major impact.”
The initiative has received support from additional promoters. Right off the bat, Stacie George with Live Nation committed Irving Plaza, The Gramercy Theatre and Warsaw in New York, while Peter Shapiro added Brooklyn Bowl to the slate. Amy Corbin and Margaret Galton from C3 Presents in Austin added Stubb’s, Emo’s and Scoot Inn in Texas. Los Angeles’ Spaceland Presents also joined the campaign with all three of their venues: The Regent, The Echo and Echoplex.
White began her efforts in swing states, landing two shows in Florida, one in Iowa, two each in Minnesota and Michigan and three in her home state of Wisconsin.
“In the last weeks, we’ve been looking at what states are left to find shows in those states. We were able to get Utah and Connecticut through that,” White tells Billboard, adding more shows will be announced closer to election day as well.
“You look up the biggest venues in South Dakota and they don’t have shows” on a Tuesday night in November, White explained. “I would love to change that in the future. As we grow, we’ll get artists to go to South Dakota to play a show. We’ll get there.”
The plan is to make #iVoted campaign a fixture for national elections for the foreseeable future. White says there are already a number of venues and artists who were unable to make Nov. 6, 2018, work but are committed to the next national election in 2020.
“We want to do this every national election day for forever,” says White.
For a full list of participating events and rules, visit iVotedConcerts.com.
This article originally appeared on Billboard.