Every September since 2012, thousands of volunteers have come together around a shared goal: getting more Americans registered to vote. They’ve channeled attention and energy into a single day, dubbed “National Voter Registration Day.”

While having coffee with the founder of National Voter Registration Day, Montana native Matt Singer, Montana Free Press founder and executive director John Adams had a lightbulb moment: Maybe local news could benefit from that kind of national focus.

About a year later, that idea has become the first “Local News Day.” On April 9, more than 1,300 local newsrooms, around 200 partners, and 15 sponsors are participating in the “national day of action to celebrate and strengthen trusted local news and information.”