New Political Organization Wants to Turn Concerts into Rallies in Lead-up to 2020 Election

There’s been no shortage of movements to get young folks to vote over the past few years, but none have been quite like 46 for 46.

The new initiative, started by former Bon Iver manager Kyle Frenette and Christopher Moon, is set to stage 46 concerts in 46 cities in an attempt to win a Democratic candidate the 46th presidency. Frenette and Moon hope that in the various cities, they’ll bring prominent musicians from the area to substantive crowds, having the artists discuss the imperative of a Democratic candidate in crucial swing states.

Some artists have already committed to the project. Bon Iver will play a show in Wisconsin, Sylvan Esso in North Carolina, Lissie in Iowa, Patty Griffin in Maine and Nathaniel Rateliff in Colorado. If you’re noticing an indie-folk pattern, Frenette does, too. He’s hoping to break that by expanding the scope of the shows with hip-hop acts and country stars who traditionally have Republican-leaning fanbases.

In the organization’s press deck, they lay out their five main goals: “Teach without teaching, increase voter turnout, encourage more civic engagement, fundraise [and] elect 46,” citing that “music has an unmatched ability to bring people together” in pursuit of this goal. At the concerts, local candidates, activists and leaders will be invited to speak, while voter registration booths will be featured in the venue.

46 for 46 will brand each event as a rally while still letting the concert retain its autonomy, effectively providing a structure to the concert that would otherwise go off normally. Though there’s still much work to be done, Frenette and Moon plan to have all 46 for 46 concerts announced by September 2020.

You can find more information on 46 for 46 here. Watch a Bon Iver performance from the Paste archives below.