Every year, millions of Americans miss their chance to vote for one simple reason: they were never registered in the first place! National Voter Registration Day, coming up on September 15, 2026, exists to close that gap; and this year, the Alliance Center is proud to support civic engagement.

For the Alliance Center’s second 2026  Lunch, Unpacked session, we turned the lens on the media itself; asking what a truly free press means today, and what happens when it's put under pressure.