Black Out the Vote
In a contentious 2020 election year, and following a summer of racial reckoning in Minneapolis, we partnered with the Penumbra Center for Racial Healing to increase voter turnout among historically disadvantaged communities by removing a barrier to voting — the need to choose between earning a paycheck and casting a ballot.
There are many national holidays in America, but for some reason, election day isn’t one of them. So, we encouraged local businesses to give folks time off so they could turn out to the polls.
We created #BlackOutTheVote toolkits to help businesses raise awareness, show solidarity, and encourage other businesses to join the movement before and on Election Day. Toolkits included black “I Voted” stickers, screen-printed posters, and other materials for businesses to “black out” their storefronts, turning them into street-level billboards.
The campaign website housed information, signups for physical kits and downloadable social toolkits, complete with pre-made content for both businesses and community members to download and share to help get the word out about Penumbra’s mission.
✎ Made at Carmichael Lynch with Whitley Mike, Steph Hayden & Michele Lippman