January 3, 2025

Bryce Bennett (NLC Montana 2009) has been Executive Director of Vote Early Day since August 2021. We asked him a few questions about his work with Vote Early Day, his transition from one side of the US to the other, and the importance of early voting.

In your own words, why is Vote Early Day important?

Vote Early Day provides a central moment for partners from all walks of life to encourage Americans to share their voices in our democracy. It’s a day of action and celebration for our democracy, where people organize events, share messages online, and push their friends and neighbors to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day. With so many potential barriers that people can run into when they wait until the last minute to vote, early voting ensures no one is left out of any election. Vote Early Day also encourages fun events organized on the day, which allows those turned off by the negative nature of politics to join in, lowering the barrier to entry into our democracy.

NLC thrives on cross-sector leaders, how is cross-sector leadership important to the success of Vote Early Day?

Vote Early Day brings together businesses, nonprofits, campus groups, media companies, election administrators, sports teams, and other partners from every sector of the nation. We do this because we believe that meeting voters where they are with the tools to vote early is vitally important to their ability to cast their ballot worry-free. While political junkies will get countless reminders to vote, it may take messaging from a favorite store, coffee shop, basketball team, or student government to get that information into the hands of those who do not follow the news closely.

How did New Leaders Council help prepare you for this role?

The New Leaders Council prioritizes the power of building networks to accomplish big goals. This is core to our work to bring thousands of partners together in every state around a tentpole moment for our democracy. I am grateful for the wide network of business, nonprofit, and political leaders this organization has helped me connect with.

What was the transition from Montana to Washington DC like?

Before I moved to Washington DC, I had spent my entire life in Montana. Moving to the big city was never in my plans, but it felt like an opportunity I needed to embrace new life experiences and grow my work to empower voters on a national stage. It took me a while to master public transit, build new connections, and learn how people interact on the East Coast, but it’s been worth it. I’ve found community here in DC, and I’m eager to explore it even more as I continue to grow in this role and in this city.

You’ve lived in states such as Montana then more dense areas such as Washington DC, what is something in common related to early voting that spans geography (rural vs city)?

The wide appeal! Every year, we see more and more people embracing early voting wherever there are opportunities. Whether people are voting in rural Montana or downtown DC, they continue to show up in droves to cast their ballot in person or by mail ahead of Election Day.

Why is it important to vote early?

When people vote early, they can cast their ballot at a time that is convenient for them. When people wait until Election Day to cast their ballot, they can run into hurdles like long lines, last-minute emergencies, confusion around changed election laws, or voter dis/misinformation. Voting early allows voters to overcome these hurdles and ensure their voice is heard.

Some states have shortened early voting, any tips for advocating for longer periods?

Election administrators from both political parties are amazing allies and advocates in telling the story about the positive impact of early voting on decision-makers. They remind us that it not only adds more options for voters but also reduces Election Day lines and polling place tension, which our election leaders strongly support. At Vote Early Day, we actively work with election administrators from across the political spectrum to ensure we can be the best resource possible to voters for all the options they have to vote early.

What else should we know about your work?

I hope everyone will visit www.voteearlyday.org to learn about our 3,500+ partners’ fantastic work empowering over 85 million people to vote early in this year’s election. Recruitment for Vote Early Day 2025 starts soon!

Thank you Bryce for sharing your story with us. Comment on our post on social media and let us know if you prefer to early vote or if you’ve made a transition to another NLC city like Bryce. We’d love to hear from you.