National Voter Registration Day, 2016

Proclamation 9503 of September 26, 2016

National Voter Registration Day, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

One of the most fundamental and sacred rights of any
democracy is the right to vote; in order for our
government to function effectively and respond to the
needs of our people, all citizens can and must play a
role in shaping it. Each year on National Voter
Registration Day, we reaffirm the strong sense of civic
pride among our people and encourage friends, family
members, and neighbors to get involved in civic life by
registering to vote.

Democracy is not a spectator sport. If we are serious
about improving our country and ensuring our government
reflects our values, we cannot afford to sit out on
Election Day. Unfortunately, among those who are
eligible to vote, too many choose not to--far too many
people disenfranchise themselves by not getting
involved. When we do not take full advantage of the
right to vote, we not only give away our voice; our
power; our ability to shape the future of the country
we love--we also do a disservice to the generations of
Americans before us who risked everything, including
their lives, to protect this fundamental aspect of our
Republic.

Our brand of democracy is hard, and it requires our
citizens to be able to fully participate in a smooth
and effective way. Through a bipartisan, independent
commission dedicated to improving the voting process,
we are working to ensure our democracy and our
elections function the way they are supposed to.
Whether through strengthening mechanisms that allow
more people to vote--such as online registration--or
going door-to-door to register voters in our
communities, we must make registering to vote easier.
By protecting and expanding this right, we can ensure
this grand experiment in self-government works for more
Americans. For more information on how to register to
vote, visit www.VOTE.USA.gov.

It is easy to feel frustrated when the pace of change
is slow--and to lose hope in the political process as a
result. But we cannot give in to that cynicism. Heroic
things happen when people get involved. Our government
is only as strong as what we put into it, and it is
only reflective of the will of our citizenry when we
exercise our right to vote. Today, as we once again
celebrate National Voter Registration Day, let us carry
forward the tradition of promoting voter registration
and civic engagement, recommit to exercising one of the
most precious of our democratic rights, and remember
that the task of perfecting our Union belongs to us
all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim September 27, 2016,
as National Voter Registration Day. I call upon all
Americans to observe this day by ensuring they are
registered to vote.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
first.