by Brenda Hillegas

photos by Matt Kelchner

Every. Vote. Counts.

If you aren’t familiar with HeadCount, it’s time to learn a bit about this non-partisan organization. Think of them as a voter registration drive- they come to where you are and encourage young people to register to vote. HeadCount reaches out to people through music, and has produced a number of concerts, network PSAs, and award-winning digital media campaigns starring top musicians such as Jay-Z, Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam and members of The Grateful Dead.

The great thing about HeadCount is that they are a collaborative effort between top-billed musicians, concert promoters, and volunteers. The HeadCount street teams are in most major cities, and they work the likes of Dave Matthews Band, JAY-Z, Wilco, Phish, and The Black Keys…and so many more. Almost daily, the HeadCount volunteers are out and about at events encouraging people to register and uniting musicians/fans to make their voices count.

On Monday, HeadCount partnered with Philadelphia’s CID Entertainment and the Electric Factory to host a DNC after party for attendees and HeadCount volunteers. Appropriately called ConventionJam, the invite-only show was co-headlined by Grace Potter and Dawes, with additional music from Philly’s own Mutlu.

Since 2004, HeadCount has registered over 300,000 voters and has built a huge volunteer network that reaches potential voters at as many as as 1,000 concerts a year. The organization’s board of directors includes Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, Marc Brownstein of the Disco Biscuits, Andrew Dreskin of Ticketfly, and many more. To find out more about HeadCount, upcoming events, and how you can help- visit www.headcount.org now.