‘Ballot Box’ Packages Voter Registration Info With Pre-Rolls

A collaborative marketing campaign is encouraging members of the cannabis community to do their civic duty by registering to vote while enjoying a favorite pastime—smoking weed. Dubbed the Ballot Box, the joint effort by Higher Ground Media and Saints Joints packages five pre-rolls, and a copy of the Bill of Rights with a QR code that links to the Cannabis Voter Project.

Higher Ground editor-in-chief Michael A. Stusser told High Times that the Ballot Box is a high-end box of all-flower joints that serves as an “entry point to spark engagement and register new voters.”

“At Higher Ground, we’re always trying to elevate the dialogue on cannabis. Sometimes that’s using humor to get our point across (see “Comedians in Cars…Smoking Cannabis“), sometimes interviewing folks you would be surprised to hear from—like cops or teachers,” Stusser wrote in an email. “And we also want to be active both in the community, and society at large. The Higher Ground Ballot Box gave us a chance to turn some stereotypes on their heads. Cannabis consumers aren’t couch-locked or waking and baking. We’re registering to vote, and engaged in the democratic process.”

Saints Joints’ marketing and products highlight collaborations with a variety of artists and musicians. Their hard-cased luxury boxes have featured Bay Area artist Jeremy Fish in their Artist’s Series packs, a Tattoo Art Series with Jimbo Phillips, and a Limited Edition Pride Pack with proceeds benefiting equal rights organizations. Lawrence Perrigo, founder of Saints, agreed that in addition to fostering engagement, the Ballot Box challenges common assumptions about cannabis users.

“We see ourselves as leaders not only in the arena of legal cannabis, but as members of the mainstream community,” Perrigo said in a statement. “The collaboration with Higher Ground is our latest joint effort to raise awareness, and show how cannabis brands—and consumers—are doing more than getting high. We’re also highly engaged in the democratic process.”

Register and Vote!

The QR Code on the Ballot Box allows customers to link to the Cannabis Voter Project website, where they can register to vote or confirm that their registration is current. Established in 2018 as an initiative from HeadCount, the nonprofit and non-partisan Cannabis Voter Project is focused on educating, registering, and turning out voters. HeadCount has registered more than 500,000 voters since 2004 at concerts and other cultural events.

The Ballot Box package also includes non-partisan information on elections and voting as well as a copy of the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments of the United States Constitution that guarantee many of the civil liberties Americans hold dear.

“We thought it was important to include the Bill of Rights in our Ballot Box, because these individual rights weren’t originally included in the Constitution,” Stusser said. “Like the legalization of marijuana, the people had to push the government to allow it.”

“These amendments—like cannabis—were controversial at first,” Perrigo added. “Today, over 70% of the population supports legalization – but we have a long way to go at the national level. So adding the Bill of Rights is a nod to weed smokers that our democracy is still evolving—and we need to be involved to make lasting change.”

The Higher Ground Ballot Box by Saints Joints is available at cannabis dispensaries in California, Washington, and Oklahoma.