Penguin Random House has partnered up with PEN America, Out of Print (a PRH subsidiary), and When We All Vote to launch Book the Vote, which the publisher describes as a "nonpartisan initiative to protect free speech and ensure every voter’s right to participate in elections."
Via its website, the initiative will create and distribute author and book–related content, voter registration information, and other resources in order to educate readers on civic topics and encourage potential voters to "participate in our democracy and express their voices through voting." The initiative will run in conjunction with PEN America’s Free Speech 2020 initiative, and a portion of sales from each of Out of Print's Get PoLITical apparel collection will continue to be donated to PEN America to benefit that campaign.
PRH has brought aboard authors including Deepak Chopra and Jeffrey Toobin to record videos based on their books in an effort to "make sense of America’s history and politics" in a series called How America Works. The series will cover four topics: the right to vote, voting for the president, the Supreme Court, and the Electoral College.
"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," Madeline McIntosh, CEO of Penguin Random House U.S., said in a statement. "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."
