Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who and what is 1000 Flowers?
We are a group of ordinary citizens who want more from our democracy. We wanted to engage in the political process beyond voting and writing checks to candidates. We met in living rooms (physically and virtually) in California, New York, and Philadelphia, to brainstorm ideas for what would be fun to do as a group of friends and concerned citizens. We decided to focus our efforts on mobilizing women to vote. We liked the imagery of colorful flowers, and dreamed of gardens of engaged citizens blooming across the country. We wanted to do something fun, edgy and effective so we launched the "Nail the Election" campaign to reach women voters in 1000 nail and beauty salons across the country.

2. Are you connected to the Bush or Kerry campaigns for President?
No. We are a non-partisan, non-profit effort aimed at registering voters -- especially single women -- to ensure that our democratic process is more inclusive of all voices. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization

3. How are you funded?
We are actively seeking funding from various sources in order to produce 1000 beauty kits for distribution. Please help us by donating as much as you can! Click here to make a tax-deductible donation.

4. Who is your staff?
We have three project managers and a host of other volunteers and supporters. One of us will respond to you if you send an email here.

5. What does 1000 Flowers do?
We are offering "beauty kits" to hair, nail, and beauty salons in eight states: Oregon, Ohio, Florida, California, Nevada, New York, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. Our beauty kits include nail files with catchy slogans and information for registering voters on-line; postcards providing the top five reasons why women should vote; a counter display; and voter registration materials with "how to" instructions for salon owners.

We are distributing the beauty kits to salons across the country through the mail, local partners, beauty retail stores, and individuals.

6. How do I register to vote?
You can register to vote right here on our website!

7. How can I get beauty kits or other materials?
We are offering nail files with slogans and postcards as free gifts for your tax-deductible donation. Soon we will be offering complete beauty kits.

For large quantities, please email your request and provide us information about who you are, where you are, whether you are an individual, retailer, or organization, and how many materials you want.

8. What else can I do?
There are many ways you can help our garden grow! Check out our What You Can Do page and plant a garden of voters in your community.

9. I am a member of the media. How do I contact you for an interview?
Please send us an e-mail to media@1000flowers.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

10. Why women? Why single women?
Women's votes can decide elections -- if they register and vote. Women's voices, concerns and solutions are important and need to be heard in our political process. Single women, in particular, are not registering and not voting. Many have been turned off to the political process. In the 2000 election, 22 million single women who could have voted did not, and 16 million of them were not even registered.

Research undertaken by Women's Voices, Women Vote tells us that single women of all ages, races, incomes, and educational backgrounds feel that politicians don't understand their concerns and don't listen. They care about jobs, healthcare, and education, and many of them are worried that our country is headed in the wrong direction.

If single women voted at similar rates to other voting blocs, than 6 million more votes would have been cast in the last election.