We Got To Change

JAMES BROWN X CENTER FOR COMMON GROUND

The James Brown Estate, and the Center For Common Ground are excited to partner around several powerful initiatives to help get out the Black Vote ahead of Election Day this November. The CFCG is a non-partisan voting rights organization dedicated to empowering Black voters in Southern and Southeastern states facing voter suppression tactics. Recognizing that Mr. Brown was not only known for his groundbreaking contributions to music, but also for being a staunch advocate of social issues including education and voting rights, this partnership will celebrate and honor his lifelong commitment to encouraging Black political participation. The partnership with the CFCG will rally around Mr. Brown’s song “We Got To Change” and will include activations around a custom James Brown design by Shepard Fairey and OBEY.

CENTER FOR COMMON GROUND

2024 VOTERS GUIDE

North Carolina

Where/How to register: Register to vote information here.

Registration deadline: October 11th NC has same day in person voter registration during early voting. Learn more here.

Early voting information: 

Vote By Mail: 

  • October 29 last day to request absentee ballot. Track your ballot here.

Find Polling location, check status of absentee ballot and more at: https://ncvoter.fyi/polling

Ride to the Polls: https://booking.rides2vote.com/

Voter ID rules: 

Ok if expired up to 1 year (or more time after 65th birthday): 

  • North Carolina driver license
  • North Carolina state ID card (also called a non operators ID)
  • US passport or passport card 
  • North Carolina voter ID card issued by your county 
  • North Carolina student identification approved by the NC State Board of Elections (list available here)
  • Employee ID issued by North Carolina state or local government or charter school approved by the NC State Board of Elections. (list available here)
  • Out-of-state driver’s license or ID card (only if you have registered to vote in North Carolina within 90 days of an election)

No expiration date required: 

  • Military identification  
  • Veterans Health ID card issued by US Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Tribal enrollment card issued by a tribe recognized by NC state or federal government

https://www.voteriders.org/states/north-carolina/

Voting statistics and data 

  • 1.5 million registered Black voters
  • 1.04 million Black voters cast a ballot in 2020 general
  • 57.2% of registered Black voters are Women and 42.5% Male. This is a 14.7% gender gap among Black registered voters, much higher than the gender gap for the general population of registered voters in NC (7.4%)

South Carolina

Where/How to register: Register online, by mail or in person. Learn more here.

Registration deadline: 30 days before election day.

Early voting information:  https://scvoter.info/early

Update voter registration and find polling location: https://scvoter.fyi/polling

Voter ID rules: 

  • South Carolina driver’s license 
  • South Carolina state ID card  
  • US passport 
  • South Carolina voter registration card with photo 
  • Military identification
  • Veterans identification
  • South Carolina concealed weapon permit

https://www.voteriders.org/states/south-carolina/

Voting statistics and data 

  • 909,319 registered Black voters
  • 579,888 Black voters cast a ballot in 2020
  • 57% of registered voters are Women and 42% Male

Georgia

Where/How to register:  Register to vote information here. 

Registration deadline: October 7

Early voting information: 

  • October 15 – November 1 with Saturday voting on Oct 18 and 26
  • Find early voting location at https://gavoter.net/ev

Vote By Mail: 

Find Polling location, check status of absentee ballot and more:

Voter ID rules: 

Ok if expired

  • Georgia driver’s license

Must be unexpired

  • Georgia state ID card
  • Georgia Voter ID card 
  • Photo ID issued by US government or any state
  • US passport or passport card
  • Student ID issued by public college or university approved by Georgia’s Secretary of State (list available here)
  • Tribal identification 
  • Military identification 
  • Employee ID issued by US, Georgia, or local government

More info here: https://www.voteriders.org/states/georgia/

Request a ride to the pollshttps://gavoter.net/requestaride

Voting statistics and data:

  • 2.5 million registered Black voters
  • 1.41 million Black voters cast a ballot in 2020 general
  • 55.2% of registered Black voters are Women and 44.7% Male. This is a 10.46% gender gap among Black registered voters, much higher than the gender gap for the general population of registered voters in GA (6.14%)

Virgina

Where/How to register:  You can register online to vote here or at vavoter.net/register

Apply to Vote by mail here  or at vavoter.net/polling

Registration deadline: 

  •  Monday, October 14 
  • In-person, online, & by mail must be completed by Monday, October 14 
  • Virginia has same-day voter registration inlcuding on election day and you can voter with a provisional ballot. 

Early Voting: Sept. 20 to Nov. 2. Early voting locations can be found on county registrar websites or on this tool that we built: vavoter.net/evlist

Find Polling location, check status of absentee ballot and more at: here or at vavoter.net/polling

Voter ID requirements: 

You can show:
Ok if expired 

  • Virginia driver’s license 

Ok if expired up to 12 months 

  • Virginia state ID card 
  • Virginia Voter ID card 
  • US passport or passport card 
  • ID issued by US, Virginia, or local government 
  • Tribal identification issued by tribe recognized by Virginia
  • Student ID issued by high school in Virginia
  • Student ID issued by higher education institution in United States
  • Military identification
  • Employee ID 
  • Voter confirmation documents 
  • Current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, or other government document

https://www.voteriders.org/states/virginia/

Voting statistics and data 

  • 884,073 million registered Black voters
  • 561,684 Black voters cast a ballot in 2020 general
  • 55.6% of registered Black voters are Women and 44.4% Male. This is an 11.2% gender gap among Black registered voters, much higher than the gender gap for the general population of registered voters in VA (5.6%)

Texas

Where/How to register: You can register to vote in person, by mail or online (if you register online you still have to print your application and mail it to your registrars office). Learn more here or at https://txvoter.net/register

Registration deadline: October 7 

Early voting information: 

Find Polling location, check status of absentee ballot and more at: https://txvoter.net/lookup

ID Information: Texas asks you to show photo ID to vote in person. If you can’t get an accepted photo ID, there is another way to confirm your identity. 

Voter ID requirements: https://www.voteriders.org/states/texas/

Voting statistics and data 

  • 1.32 million registered Black voters
  • 765,306 Black voters cast a ballot in 2020 general
  • 55.6% of registered Black voters are Women and 44.3% Male. This is an 11.2% gender gap among Black registered voters, much higher than the gender gap for the general population of registered voters in VA (5.1%)

Alabama

Where/How to register: You can register online, with a printable PDF or have an application mailed to you. Learn more here. 

Registration deadline:  Monday, October 21

Find Polling location, check registration status and status of absentee ballot and more at: https://alvoter.fyi/polls

ID Information:

Most people show:
Can be expired less than 60 days

  • Alabama driver’s license
  • Alabama state ID card

You can also show: 
Must be unexpired 

  • Alabama Voter ID card 
  • Photo ID issued by US government or any state
  • US passport or passport card 
  • Military or veteran identification 
  • Tribal identification 
  • Student or employee ID issued by Alabama higher education institution 
  • Employee ID issued by US, Alabama, or local government

Voter ID requirements: https://www.voteriders.org/states/alabama/

Voting statistics and data 

  • 200,000 registered Black voters
  • 111,670 Black voters cast a ballot in 2020 general
  • 57.6% of registered Black voters are Women and 42.4% Male. 

Arizona

Where/How to register:

Registration deadline: October 7 

Early voting information: 

  • October 9 to November 1
  • You can vote early at your country registrars office. To learn if your county offers more locations, you can go to their website  here

Vote By Mail: 

  • Ballots mailed on Oct 9 to voters on Active Early Voter List or those who requested one-time ballot for Nov. 5 election 
  • Last day to request mail ballot is October 25 
  • Request ballot here: https://azvoter.news/absentee

Find Polling location, check status of absentee ballot and more at: 

  • Note that Maricopa and Pima county have their own websites

ID Information:

You must show ID to vote in person.

Most voters do not need a copy of their ID to vote by mail.

ID requirements: https://www.voteriders.org/states/arizona/

Voting statistics and data 

  • 57,366 registered Black voters
  • 36,118 Black voters cast a ballot in 2020 general
  • About 60% of registered Black voters are Women and 41.7% Male.

Florida

Where/How to register:

Registration deadline: October 7

Early voting information:  

  • October 26 – November 2
  • Find early voting locations here: 

Vote By Mail: 

  • Deadline to request ballot is October 24, 2024
  • Please check with your county supervisor of elections for the most up to date early voting schedule. 

Find Polling location, check status of absentee ballot and more at: 

https://flvoter.fyi/precinct

ID Information: 

You must show photo ID in person.

You must provide an ID number when you request to vote by mail. 

Learn more here: https://www.voteriders.org/states/florida/

Voting statistics and data

  • 2.1 million registered Black voters
  • 1.3 million Black voters cast a ballot in 2020 general
  • About 56% of registered Black voters are Women and 43% Male. 
  • We Got To Change T-shirt

    T-shirts featuring the graphic, available exclusively at http://obeyclothing.com.

    All net profits from the sale of the shirt will be donated to the Center for Common Ground, a registered 501(c)(3) organization.

  • We Got To Change Fine Print

    Prints will be for sale at http://obeygiant.com. All net profits from the sale of the shirt will be donated to the Center for Common Ground, a registered 501(c)(3) organization.

  • Listen To We Got To Change

    “We Got To Change” was recorded August 16, 1970. “We Got To Change” is another example of James Brown’s social outreach (and outrage), seen in singles like “Don’t Be a Dropout,” “Say It Loud I’m Black and I’m Proud,” “Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved” and “King Heroin.”

     
  • Join Postcarding Efforts

    Ask about the Shepard Fairey We Got To Change Postcard design

     
  • Participate In Phone Banking

     
  • SHOP The Collection

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