CHALK THE VOTE ADVOCATES FOR THE USE OF CHALK AS AN ACCESSIBLE AND FUN TOOL FOR EMPOWERING
SELF-EXPRESSION AND DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION
CHALK THE VOTE
•
CHALK YOUR VOICE
•
COMMUNICATE WITH ART
•
CHALK THE VOTE • CHALK YOUR VOICE • COMMUNICATE WITH ART •
FAQs
-
Everyone! We especially love that people barred from voting, such as undocumented immigrants and youth under 18 can participate in the democratic campaigns with chalk!
-
We get it! These are weird and sensitive times. If you share your work with a Chalk the Vote administrator with the word "anonymous" we will share it from our Chalk Riot account and leave your name out of it!
-
Yes! Chalk the Vote participants do not have to pay to receive the prompts, have access to our educational videos, zines, or digital toolkits, or to be in our online communities.
-
We are keenly aware of some of the unfortunate laws being enforced and actively written to prevent free speech in the form of sidewalk chalk. We can't give you official legal advice, but we can recommend that you follow your gut. You can always chalk on an indoor surface and take a photo to share, or chalk in a private protected property, such as a friend's backyard or stoop. We're happy to brainstorm solutions with you!
A bit of background …
A labor of love from the team at Chalk Riot, Chalk the Vote started in 2020, when more families were using sidewalk chalk than ever. Seriously— during lockdown, boxes of sidewalk chalk were on backorder! People were using chalk to communicate messages of covid safety, hope, and calls for justice. As the Biden/Trump election approached, we created a toolkit sharing everything we know about chalk activism, and created a grassroots initiative to use chalk to get out the vote. Over 800 people participated from around the world, and about a dozen other organizations (that we know of) caught the wave and kickstarted their own chalk the vote campaigns as well!
This year, we are no further away from authoritarianism than we were in 2024. Voter rights are at high risk, and a man that incited an insurrection in our beloved home of Washington, DC is (somehow) running for office again. Too much is on the line and we need to organize from every angle.
Not everyone can vote, but (almost) everyone can chalk! So let’s creatively organize for real change. When we create, we win!