The head football coaches at the University of Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa and Drake are encouraging Iowans to “get in the game” for the November 8 general election. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is partnering with Kirk Ferentz, Matt Campbell, Mark Farley and Todd Stepsis to promote voter participation this fall. The four head coaches will appear in radio, TV, social media and digital ads, encouraging Iowans to #BeAVoter. Radio ads will run during each school’s game broadcasts.
“This is a nonpartisan effort to reach out to all Iowans in a unique way and inspire them to fulfill their civic duty by voting,” Secretary Pate said. “My thanks to Kirk Ferentz, Matt Campbell, Mark Farley and Todd Stepsis for stepping up and helping us promote the #BeAVoter initiative. They are great ambassadors for our state and will hopefully convince all eligible Iowans to make their voices heard by casting a ballot.”
Each video ad features a coach giving a locker room-style pep talk about the importance of voting and having a game plan for casting a ballot. The viewer or listener is encouraged to visit VoterReady.Iowa.gov, a one-stop-shop for state election information. Iowans can use the site to register to vote, download an absentee ballot request form, track its status, and find information about voting deadlines and requirements.
The partnership between Secretary Pate and the football coaches was developed through Learfield, which owns the athletics multimedia rights for the four schools