Beyond the Vote

We're facing a pandemic, reckoning with centuries of racial injustice, and we have only a few short years left before all hope for the climate is lost. As election day in the US nears, Americans hear the same message from all angles: if there was ever a time to vote for your future, it's now.

But for many Americans, that's easier said than done; when facing safety concerns, former incarceration, and voter suppression, it's clear that for many of us, casting a vote is a privilege when it should be a right.

So, those of us who can cast our votes need to understand that voting is essential—but it's just the first step. Real change begins immediately, in our own communities, with the people who need it the most. So, we're asking: how do you plan to take action beyond your vote? Share an organization you believe in, the cause they stand for, and the way you plan to support them directly. Whether it's a local climate march, a mutual aid fund that feeds your immediate community, or an initiative to help educate new voters, tell us where we should dedicate time, money, or support to take things into our own hands and make the country a better place, while we wait for our leaders to catch up.

The grand prize amount will be matched and donated to a cause that we believe in, Spread the Vote: an organization dedicated to helping marginalized citizens in voter ID states get required IDs for election day.

For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 5,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until November 6, 2020, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Beyond the Vote Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+ visit https://vocal.media/vocal-plus.

To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or third place prizes, you must be over the age of 13 and residing in a country where Stripe is available at the time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need to have a Stripe account created and connected in order to receive the prizes. For this reason, entrants located outside of any of these 39 countries will not be eligible to win.