MEDIA RELEASE: Secretary Pate kicks off 2021 #BeAVoter initiative with college football teams

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and the college football teams at the University of Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, and Drake are partnering this fall to encourage voter participation in the city-school election on November 2. The schools’ four head coaches will appear in social media and digital ads, encouraging Iowans to #BeAVoter. Additionally, radio spots will run during each school’s game broadcasts, including Saturday’s Cy-Hawk Game.

“I want to thank Kirk Ferentz, Matt Campbell, Mark Farley and Todd Stepsis and their schools for helping to promote the #BeAVoter initiative,” Secretary Pate said. “City and school elections usually don’t receive as much attention as they should. Partnering with Iowa’s great college football community will hopefully boost voter interest and turnout.”

Each ad directs the viewer or listener to visit VoterReady.Iowa.gov, a one-stop-shop for state election information. Iowans can use Voter Ready website to register to vote, download an absentee ballot request form, track its status, and find information about voting deadlines and requirements.

The relationship between Secretary Pate and the football coaches was developed through Learfield, which owns the athletics multimedia rights for the four schools.

Examples of the social media ads, and a collage of all four, are available here:

• Iowa
• Iowa State
• Northern Iowa
• Drake
• Collage of all four

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