At Bonnaroo, positive vibes extend to democracy, not just music and the arts

As the 20th annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival gained steam Thursday and Friday — both in attendance and actual heat — one nonprofit took advantage of the colorful chaos to promote democracy and civic engagement.

Under a bright, disco-decked tent in the nonprofit portion of Centeroo was Headcount, a national nonpartisan nonprofit group that promotes voter registration through music festivals across the country. With Bonnaroo-themed voting pins, a relaxation tent, and several inflatable couches, the location was popular with festival-goers.

This, said Chris Tallent, field director at Headcount, was exactly the goal.

“We’ve been going to Bonnaroo for many years – it’s one of the biggest festivals we’ve been to too,” he said. “We are very excited to be here.”

Including Bonnaroo, the organization sets up camp at more than 1,000 live events every year to promote voter registration. According to the organization’s website, the group has won more than a million voters since 2003 at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Pride festivals and RuPaul’s DragCon, in addition to touring with celebrity partners such as Ariana Grande, Beyoncé and Dead & Company.

Events like these are an important aspect of civic engagement, Tallent explained, because the demographic tends to be young adults – many of whom are unregistered.

“Festivals are a great place because we always try to meet people where they are and bring joy and positive energy to democracy,” he said. “And especially to get young people involved in voting for democracy, there is no better place to go than shows, festivals and concerts.”

Voter turnout in Tennessee is repeatedly one of the lowest in the country. According to a study carried out by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Election Performance IndexAlthough 79 percent of eligible Tennesseans are registered to vote, the state ranks 43rd^third in the country in terms of voter turnout, with just 31 percent of the state’s population voting in the 2022 election cycle.

The national average that year was 47 percent.

Tallent said he hopes events like these can help turn the tide of poor voter turnout.

“Registering people to vote is important because we need a democracy that includes everyone – and we want everyone to be civically involved,” he said.

The USA Today Network’s coverage of Tennessee’s First Amendment issues is funded by a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.

Do you have a story to tell? Contact Angele Latham by email at alatham@gannett.com, by phone at 931-623-9485 or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham

This article originally appeared in the Nashville Tennessean: At Bonnaroo, positive vibes extend to democracy, not just music