ARLINGTON, Va. — With Texas state primary elections first out of the gate March 1, 2022, NACDS is launching a 36-week nationwide push to raise the pharmacy community’s awareness of its influential role in grassroots engagement, policy and politics.

“NACDS members have a presence in every state and Congressional District, and NACDS RxIMPACT Votes is here to encourage the people of pharmacy to engage with and vote for the candidates of their choice,” said NACDS president and CEO Steven Anderson.

“Elected officials make decisions related to pharmacy viability and accessibility, and to patient health and wellness. The 2022 Congressional elections have unique dynamics – with tight margins in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, with a significant number of retirements and individuals seeking other office, and with many states’ Congressional maps changing due to the results of the 2020 Census. It’s time to get aware and to get involved – which is among the many things that the people of pharmacy do extremely, extremely well.”

NACDS RxIMPACT Votes is the get-out-the-vote initiative that is part of the overarching NACDS RxIMPACT grassroots program. Other initiatives of NACDS RxIMPACT include pharmacy tours for members of Congress; an effort to match pharmacy “Key Contacts” with members of Congress; letter-writing campaigns to federal and state decision-makers; grassroots advocacy training and education – including special programming for student pharmacists; and NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill – which in the pre-pandemic era had achieved in-person reach to every Congressional office in a 24-hour window.

Throughout 2022, NACDS RxIMPACT Votes will update its vibrant grassroots community with:

• alerts about primary election date;
• voter registration information;
• #PharmacyVoter social media engagement opportunities;
• information about how to engage in candidates’ campaigns and how to advance get-out-the-vote drives; and
• insights about the Congressional landscape and the importance of engagement.

PharmacyVoter.org is the online home of the NACDS RxIMPACT Votes initiative.