A Civic Engagement Experience

Rocky The Vote

Don't Dream It — Vote It

For fifty years, Rocky Horror has been a sanctuary for weirdos, misfits, and free spirits — people who refused to be told how to dress, who to love, or what to believe.

That sanctuary is under threat. The antidote is the same it's always been: show up, make noise, and do the Time Warp.

Register to Vote The Steps → Check My Status

The Voting Time Warp

It's just a jump to the left…

…and then you register to vote. Four steps. No sequins required.

01
A jump to the left
Register to vote online — it takes less time than learning the Time Warp. Works in all 50 states.
Register Now →
02
A step to the right
Check your registration status. Move around a lot? Always check before an election. Takes 30 seconds.
Check Status →
03
Hands on your hips
Can't make it in person? Request an absentee ballot. Rock the Vote walks you through your state's process.
Get Absentee Ballot →
04
Bring your knees in tight
Pledge to vote and get election reminders. A simple commitment that research shows actually increases turnout.
Pledge to Vote →

Why This Matters

Absolute pleasure
is not guaranteed

Rocky Horror has always been a space where the different, the queer, the outrageous, and the defiant could breathe. That space exists because people fought for it. Not by wishing for it — by showing up.

Fascism doesn't announce itself with a villain monologue. It arrives through voter suppression, apathy, and the quiet erosion of the things that let us be weird together.

Voting isn't the only tool in the toolbox. But it's the one with a Tuesday deadline, and it matters.

Rock the Vote →

"Don't dream it, be it."

By the numbers

14M+

voter registrations processed by Rock the Vote's platform

8M+

young people eligible to vote for the first time in 2026

Civic Tech Tools

The props kit
for democracy

Stay on this page and use Rock the Vote's free civic tools below — register, check your status, request an absentee ballot, or pledge to vote. Completing the flow here keeps the highest success rates.

Online Voter Registration

Rock the Vote built the first online voter registration tool in 1999. It works in all eligible states and has processed over 14 million applications.

Voter Status Lookup

Check if you're on the rolls with your current address — especially important if you've moved, changed your name, or it's been a while.

Absentee Ballot Request

Rock the Vote walks you through your state's mail-in ballot requirements so you know exactly what to do and when.

Pledge to Vote

Make a commitment and get timely, localized election reminders via email or SMS. Research shows pledging increases follow-through.

Embed these on your own site

These widgets use Rock the Vote's free embed codes. Organizations can sign up for partner codes at rockthevote.org/tech-for-civic-engagement or contact civictech@rockthevote.org for a customized experience. Also check out Vote.org's free tools.

Host a RockyTheVote Event

Throw a party.
Save democracy.
It's tradition.

Whether you live in a rain-soaked castle or a sleepy little Denton — this is for you.

A RockyTheVote gathering is exactly what it sounds like: bring your people together, have an outrageously good time, and make sure everyone leaves registered. It doesn't need to be fancy. It needs to be yours.

Selected 🎬

Screening + Reg Drive

The classic. A full RHPS showing with a voter registration table. Works anywhere you can project.

Selected 💄

Drag Show / Cabaret

Performance first. Voter registration between acts. Sequins mandatory, ballots encouraged.

Selected 🏠

House Party

Living room democracy. Laptop on the coffee table, toast in hand, small group and real conversations.

Selected 🍸

Bar / Venue Takeover

Work with a local venue. Costume contest, themed drinks, a registration station at the door.

The Classic Midnight Screening + Registration Drive

What You Need
  • A venue with projection (theater, bar, community hall, backyard with a sheet)
  • Licensed screening rights — check Swank Motion Pictures or Criterion Pictures
  • A registration table near the entrance — laptop + hotspot or printed QR codes to Rock the Vote
  • A prop bag station (rice, toast, noisemakers, newspapers) — collect a small donation to offset costs
  • An MC for the pre-show voter registration announcement
The Flow
  • 90 min before: Doors open, costume judging, registration table staffed
  • 60 min before: MC does the "virgin" ceremony — fold in the voting pledge
  • 30 min before: Announce registration deadline; anyone not registered, go see the table
  • Intermission: Check-in — how many registered tonight? Celebrate loudly.
  • Post-show: Photo op, share count of new registrations on social

Drag Show / Cabaret Format

What You Need
  • A venue with a stage or performance space
  • 3–6 performers (drag queens, kings, variety acts) — contact your local drag community first
  • A host/emcee who can hold a room and pivot to civic content naturally
  • A registration station at the door and the bar — QR codes at every table
  • A sound system with a mic for between-act civic moments
The Flow
  • Act 1: 2–3 performances, host does intro — frame the night as celebration + action
  • Between acts: Host takes the mic, reads the room, drops a 90-second voter reg pitch
  • Midpoint: "Pause for democracy" — everyone pull out your phone, scan the QR, check your status
  • Act 2: More performances, build energy
  • Finale: Registration count, group photo, pledge from the whole room

House Party / Living Room Gathering

What You Need
  • Your home, a neighbor's, or a community space
  • A laptop or tablet open to rockthevote.org for on-the-spot registration
  • Printed QR code cards each guest can take home
  • Snacks, costumes encouraged but absolutely optional
  • A 10-minute "civic moment" planned — use one of the host scripts below
The Flow
  • Arrival: Casual, welcoming — registration check happens at the door, low-key
  • Settling in: Put on the soundtrack, let people arrive and get comfortable
  • 20 min in: Host does the civic moment — honest, brief, personal. Not a lecture.
  • Then: Screening, game, or just the evening you were already planning
  • Before people leave: Send everyone the Rock the Vote link and a pledge card

Bar / Venue Takeover

What You Need
  • A venue partner — use the outreach letter template in the kit
  • Themed drink specials ("The Time Warp," "The Ballot Box," "Frank's Sinister Serum")
  • A costume contest with a simple registration-linked entry process
  • Printed QR code posters for every table and the bathroom — seriously, the bathroom
  • A designated "Democracy Corner" — a small table, laptop, staff volunteer
  • A sound-system drop-in for 2–3 civic announcements across the evening
The Flow
  • Doors open: Registration table right at entry — staff it, make it fun, not solemn
  • First hour: Costume contest registration, people are still arriving
  • 9pm-ish: Costume contest judging — MC works in a voter pledge moment mid-judging
  • Throughout: Periodic mic drops — "79 people have registered tonight. Who are we missing?"
  • Last call: Final tally, social post, send the link to anyone still on their phone

Host Scripts

Four voices. Pick yours.

🎩

The Frank Voice

Theatrical · Commanding · Makes it feel like an edict from a higher power

Opening — command the room

"I didn't invite you all here to simply watch a film. I invited you here because you are — each of you — exactly the kind of magnificent, strange, glorious creature that someone, somewhere, is trying very hard to erase. And I find that... deeply unacceptable."

The pivot to voting

"There's a table near the entrance. On that table is a laptop. And on that laptop is the single most effective thing you can do — short of building a castle — to preserve your right to be exactly this weird for the rest of your life. Register to vote. Do it tonight. Do it while you're wearing that. They will absolutely hate that."

The close

"Before we proceed — and we will proceed in style — I want to know who among you has not yet registered. Don't be shy. This is not a judgment. This is an opportunity. My people will find you. They have toast."

// Pause for effect. Scan the room. Let them feel seen.
🤍

The Janet Voice

Sincere · Earnest · Disarmingly brave about something genuinely important

Opening — be real with them

"Okay, I know this isn't exactly why you came tonight — and I promise the movie is happening and it is going to be wonderful. But I need about two minutes of your time first, because something is genuinely worrying me, and I think it might be worrying you too."

The pivot to voting

"The people in this room — the people who show up to something like this — you are exactly the people whose voices matter most right now. Not because you're special, although you kind of are. Because people who feel like they don't fit are the first people authoritarian systems go after. That's history. And voting is one of the things we can do about it. I know it doesn't feel like enough. It's not enough on its own. But it's real, and it's tonight, and there's a table by the door."

The close

"If you're already registered, thank you. Genuinely. If you're not — please. Before you leave. It takes four minutes. We'll be here."

// You don't have to perform confidence you don't feel. The sincerity is the point.
🌙

The Riff Raff Voice

Dry · Knowing · Delivers the truth sideways so it lands harder

Opening — let the silence do some work

"Fifty years. This film has been running for fifty years. Every October, in theaters like this one — or rooms like this one — people keep choosing to show up. In costume. With toast. Despite everything."

// Pause. Don't rush it.
The pivot to voting

"There is a registration table in this building. I'm not going to tell you it will fix everything. It won't. I'm not going to tell you it's fun. It isn't, particularly. What I will tell you is that the alternative — not voting, not showing up, deciding it doesn't matter — has been tried. It has a documented track record. I recommend against it."

The close

"The table is there. The laptop is open. Someone from our group will help you. We'll get on with the evening."

// That's it. Don't oversell. The flatness is the point.
⭐

The Columbia Voice

Chaotic · Joyful · Absolutely means it even when she's spinning in circles

Opening — full energy, immediately

"OKAY EVERYBODY LISTEN UP — I know, I know, you came here for the movie and the props and the absolute chaos and we are GETTING TO THAT — but first — FIRST — we are going to talk about something that I genuinely cannot stop thinking about and I think you can't either."

The pivot to voting

"Look around this room right now. Look at us. Are you seeing this? This is who we are. This is what we've always been. And there are people — powerful people — who have decided that we should be scared. That we should be quiet. That we should go home and be normal and stop making such a fuss. And my response to that — my sincere, heartfelt, deeply considered response — is: absolutely not and also we will register to vote while wearing this. TONIGHT. There is a table. There is a laptop. There is a person who will help you and she has excellent glitter."

The close

"Who's already registered? SCREAM IF YOU'RE REGISTERED. Okay amazing, now — who ISN'T? No shame! The table is open! Go! GO! We'll wait! We have props!"

// If you lose the thread, that's fine. Come back to: "The table is there. Go register. I believe in you."

The RockyTheVote Organizer Kit

Everything above — plus the event planning guide, social media templates, and venue outreach letter — in one document your whole Transylvania can use.

Event Planning Guide Host Scripts (all 4 voices) Social Media Templates Venue Outreach Letter Post-Event Report Card
Download the Kit →

Keep America Weird

We've been doing the Time Warp since 1975.
We're not stopping now.
Register. Vote. Show up in costume if you have to.
Just show up.

Register to Vote Pledge to Vote