Theatres are built for gathering people. Every night, hundreds or thousands of audience members pass through the lobby with a few minutes to spare. That makes a theatre one of the best places in town to help people register to vote.
National Voter Registration Day falls on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Here's how to plan a nonpartisan voter registration drive at your theatre, for that day or any night this fall.
A voter registration drive should help everyone register, regardless of party. Don't hand out campaign materials, wear candidate gear, or suggest how anyone should vote. This matters especially for nonprofit theatres, which must stay nonpartisan to protect their 501(c)(3) status.
Talk to the theatre's management, company manager, or house manager first. Agree on a location, usually a lobby table, and on timing. Pre-show and intermission are the busiest windows.
Voter registration rules vary by state. Some states require groups that collect paper registration forms to register, complete training, or return forms within a set number of days. Check with your state or local election office before you start. If the rules are complicated, consider pointing people to online registration instead of collecting forms yourself.
A short curtain speech from a cast member can do more than any sign. Many companies already make appeals for Broadway Cares after the bows, so audiences are used to hearing from the cast. Keep any voting message nonpartisan and brief.
Theatre workers move often and work nights, and touring companies are away from home for months. Use the drive as a moment for cast and crew to check their own registration and request absentee ballots. Our voting guide for theatre workers and our post on how national tours work explain the challenges.
Don't collect personal information you don't need, and never photograph completed registration forms. When in doubt, let people register themselves online.
Broadway has a long tradition of organizing for causes bigger than any one show, which we trace in our history of Broadway activism. A lobby registration table is a simple, practical way to continue it. See where civic engagement fits among other Broadway causes in our guide to Broadway nonprofits.
Tuesday, September 22, 2026. It's held on the fourth Tuesday of September each year.
Yes, as long as it's nonpartisan and follows your state's rules.
It depends on your state. Some require it for groups collecting paper forms. Online registration avoids most of these requirements.
Yes. Contact us for support planning a drive.
Help Broadway register more voters. Donate to Broadway for Democracy.
