MISSION STATEMENT
What is Drag Out The Vote?
Drag Out The Vote™ is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works with drag performers to promote participation in democracy
We educate and register voters at drag events online and offline, by organizing local and national voter activations. Led by fierce drag artists across the nation, we advocate for increased voter access and engagement.
Our story
Conceived in 2017, Drag Out The Vote™ was born out of one woman’s determination to get the LGBTQ+ and Allied communities engaged about voting. In realizing that 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ people are not registered to vote, and that 100 million people overall did not vote in 2016, Jackie Huba set out to find a solution.
Inspired by her friend Jaremi Carey’s Puerto Rico benefit (a massive drag production held in 2017 to raise funds for Hurricane Maria disaster relief), Huba decided to use the power of drag to motivate voters at events across the country. With a strong history of activism, the art of drag carries a long and storied history of impact on social justice movements across the United States.
Formally established in 2019, Drag Out The Vote™ has quickly positioned itself to use drag to engage voters of all struts of life to sashay their way to the polls!
National Co-Chairs
The Co-Chairs of Drag Out The Vote are the national faces of our organization. They use their platforms to help mobilize voters to sashay to the polls. They are dragtivists, serving on the front lines to educate, encourage, and explain why it is so important to be a registered voter and to drag out the vote. They serve in a variety of capacities and help ensure that Drag Out The Vote is able to execute its mission.
Brita Filter
Brita Filter is a drag queen from New York, appearing in Shade: Queens of NYC, and RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12, where they were the first contestant in the show’s history to be of Polynesian descent. Brita made headlines at the 2020 Women’s March in Washington, DC, breaking out into an impromptu performance as a response to anti-LGBTQ+ protesters. Brita serves as a national co-chair for Drag Out The Vote.
Cynthia Lee Fontaine
Cynthia Lee Fontaine is a Puerto Rico-born singer, actor, activist, and drag artist. Cynthia and her “cucu” won the hearts of fans on Season 8 of the Emmy-award-winning television show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she was awarded the crown of Miss Congeniality (Season 8). A fan favorite, she was asked back to compete on Season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Cynthia serves as a national co-chair for Drag Out The Vote.
Jaremi Carey
Jaremi (formerly Phi Phi O’Hara) is a transformation artist, actor, singer, a top 3 contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 4, and also appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars Season 2. Jaremi serves as a national co-chair for Drag Out The Vote.
Marti Cummings
Marti Cummings is a NYC based drag artist, television personality, & political activist. In 2021, they ran for New York City Council placing in second on election night. They serve on the boards of The Ali Forney Center, EQNY, and Drag Story Hour NY. Marti serves as a national co-chair for Drag Out The Vote.
Leadership
Chris Diaz
Executive Director
New York, NY
Christopher joined Drag Out The Vote in 2021 and spearheaded Drag Out The Vote’s 2022 National Campaign and coordinated with state partners in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to reach more than 200,000 voters via our Drag Ambassador Program ahead of critical elections. He was appointed Executive Director in 2023. Christopher received an M.F.A from the Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training and is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association. Christopher combines a unique and personal passion for the arts with a keen sense for politics and government, combining his own story as an actor, union member, and as an immigrant.
Jackie Huba
Founder, President, & Chair of the Board
New York, NY
Jackie Huba is the founder and President of Fiercely You Entertainment. She is the author of Fiercely You: Be Fabulous and Confident by Thinking Like a Drag Queen, which helps people become more self-assured and fearless at work and in life. The book has been endorsed by none other than the most famous drag queen in the world, RuPaul. She translated the book into an unforgettable TEDx Talk in Vancouver in 2015. Making TED Talk history, her presentation “Unleash the Power of Your Inner Drag Queen” was the first ever TED Talk to be done by a female drag queen. She is an expert in marketing and customer loyalty, penning three books on these subjects including Monster Loyalty: How Lady Gaga Turns Followers into Fanatics. Her long history in marketing includes being the Chief Marketing Officer of The Etho, an online marketplace that connects conscious consumers directly with ethical brands and artisans as well as a marketing executive at IBM. A sought after keynote speaker and consultant, Jackie has frequently been featured in the media, such as the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Forbes. Jackie is our Founder and serves as our President and Chair of the Board.
