When you reach out to young people, they respond. Candidates must realize this and directly address the issues of the generation that will shape this country’s future.

That’s the message Rock the Vote delivered in its post-Election Day press release, which noted how candidates failed to build upon the enthusiasm from recent elections and reach out to young people.

“With high unemployment and rising personal – and national – debt, young Americans face real challenges and what they saw from candidates and outside interest groups was largely disconnected and irrelevant to their lives and concerns,” said Rock the Vote President Heather Smith.  “It wasn’t just that campaigns didn’t pay enough attention to the generation that will shape our country’s future; what they did actively turned off people looking for solutions. The partisan bickering and negative ads targeted to older, angrier voters simply does not motivate youth participation.”

Rock the Vote found that in those precincts where they targeted young voters and engaged them in the political process, it made a significant difference. The organization had hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers making phone calls and knocking on doors right up until Election Day. Rock the Vote plans to continue its efforts to get campaigns to pay attention to young people through a combination of the best digital tools and field work.