Our Vote, Our Voice: Civic Engagement & Life Expectancy

Did you know civic engagement increases life expectancy? Stay engaged. Stay loud. Stay alive.

1. Register to Vote and Check Your Status
   Whether it’s a local election or a presidential one, your vote shapes policy that shapes lives. Visit org/Can-I-Vote to check your registration and get ready.
2. Know Your Legislators
   Your city council member, your state representative, your U.S. Senators—they work for you. Find out who they are at CommonCause.org/find-your-representative.
3. Track Legislation and Follow the Issues
   Use tools like us or Ballotpedia.org to monitor policies that affect your health, housing, education, and more. Knowledge is power.
4. Call Your Legislators
   Phone calls are powerful. Tell your representatives what matters to you—because silence is a policy too.

In the words of civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”

 

Community Commons. (n.d.). Civic engagement. Retrieved June 13, 2025, from https://www.communitycommons.org/entities/994cbf18-bf9f-4b4b-88ea-b1d49a42856b

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Health and Medicine Division, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, Roundtable on Population Health Improvement, & Andrada, A. (2023). Civic engagement and civic infrastructure to advance health equity: Proceedings of a workshop. National Academies Press.

2024 national findings report. (2024, March). County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Retrieved June 13, 2025, from https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/findings-and-insights/2024-national-findings-report