Penguin Random House | New York, 10/16/2020

Penguin Random House U.S. Launches ‘Book The Vote’ Initiative

Penguin Random House U.S. has teamed up with PEN America, Out of Print, and When We All Vote for the ‘Book The Vote’ initiative. Two weeks before the U.S. elections, the initiative aims to boost voter turnout and combat disinformation.

With only two more weeks to go before the presidential elections in the U.S., Penguin Random House U.S. has set out to increase voter turnout and combat the spread of combat disinformation by launching the Book The Vote initiative together with the authors’ association PEN America, the PRH merchandising company Out of Print, and the When We All Vote organization. Following the success of the campaign during the midterm elections  two years ago, all of the participating partners’ activities this year are pooled on the bookthevote.com website.  By creating and disseminating book and author content, voter registration information, and resources to increase understanding of civic topics, the goal is to encourage people in the United States to participate in and express their voices in the country’s democracy by voting.

Madeline McIntosh, CEO of Penguin Random House U.S., said, “We are thrilled to announce our Book the Vote campaign and website, and to join with PEN America to promote understanding of, and participation in, the election process for every voice and every voter. Through the books we publish, we strive to contribute to a world where independent thinking and free expression are protected, not just for this current election season, but for the generations of voters to come.”

As part of the initiative, the publishing group is enlisting more than 20 of its bestselling authors to convey a better understanding of America’s history and politics. They include Deepak Chopra, Jeffrey Toobin, and Kyle Creek. For example, under the title “How America Works,” bookthevote.com  explains the right to vote, the election of the President, the Supreme Court, and the Electoral College in more detail. In addition, PEN America presents its #FreeSpeech2020 initiative on the website, and includes a video series with Penguin Random House authors including Brit Bennett, Alan Cumming, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Neil Gaiman, Anita Hill, and Susan Orlean. A portion of the proceeds from sales of Out of Print’s Get PoLITical collection will also be donated to the #FreeSpeech2020 campaign.