Civic Health matters for our health and serves as a foundation for healthy thriving communities. Civic health reflects the opportunities people have to participate in their community. It welcomes everyone’s voice to set priorities, make decisions and share resources. Civic health starts with our local communities and is the cornerstone of our democracy, representing promise, opportunity, belonging and shared responsibility. As coalition of leading health organizations Health & Democracy considers civic health a critical determinant of health and actively advocates for efforts that expand civic and voter participation at every level.

Despite efforts to increase voter participation, in 2024 a third of U.S. eligible voters did not cast a ballot and almost half of eligible voters did not vote in 2022. In addition, much of the population served by our health systems are among those most likely to face barriers when voting and are underrepresented at the ballot box. Perhaps even more concerning is that healthcare workers themselves, including physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and dentists are 12-23% less likely to vote than the general population. Changing these trends requires action by all of us.

Health & Democracy is committed to assuring health for all by inviting health professionals to be civic health champions. This National Public Health Week, we are sharing a joint statement of commitment with our health and democracy partners across the country to join together to strengthen opportunities for civic participation.