Making New Friends at the NAT Voter Registration Table
This summer, the NAT Voter Registration and Education Team set up our outreach table at Eken Park Fest, the Northside Festival, and several Sundays at the Northside Farmers Market. We were aiming to help people register to vote, be a resource for questions, and recruit more volunteers. While folks chatted with us about issues big and small, children played our American trivia spinner game to win candy and stickers. It’s a hit among the kids, who impressed us with their knowledge of Wisconsin facts—especially how many little ones know the governor of Wisconsin is Tony Evers! Who said civic engagement can’t be fun?
Reflecting on the season, what stands out most to me is that folks are looking for connection. Compared to other years at the market table, when we’d sign up a new volunteer here and there, this summer we repeatedly filled the sign-up sheet with dozens of neighbors. In addition, we’ve added happy hours and potlucks to the NAT calendar because so many of us are longing to strengthen our community at this moment.
From meaningful conversations with new friends to sharing opinions on favorite market booths, public gatherings beautifully lend themselves to building community. This is why tabling is my favorite NAT activity! We’d love more volunteers to join us, so look for upcoming tabling opportunities in early 2026 on our website or right here in this newsletter. If you’d like to get involved let us know on this SURVEY or send us an email at voterreg@natmadison.org
For general information on Voting in 2026 check out the NAT website at natmadison.org/vote/.