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Posts Tagged ‘Rock the Vote’
Rock the Vote says candidates must do more
November 3rd, 2010
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.
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A Rally for Our Generation
October 28th, 2010
What will Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s rally mean to young people?
Yesterday in her blog on The Huffington Post, Rock the Vote President Heather Smith suggested that the rally shows young people are still paying attention to the political process, despite their increased cynicism due to partisan bickering this election cycle.
She believes the rally will be an opportunity for our generation to come together:
“The fact that young people identify with Stewart and Colbert’s ironic tone doesn’t mean they’ve given up on civic engagement. As they demonstrated in 2008, young people are hungry to be a part of something larger than themselves. Our recent young voter poll also showed that while young people may be more cynical about politics, an overwhelming majority of 83% believes their generation has the power to change this country. That belief will be manifested in the rally, where young people will come together on the National Mall and at dozens of satellite rallies around the country regardless of party affiliation.”
Smith concludes that events like the rally serve as a platform from which young people can make their voices heard. You can make your voice heard by pledging to vote and then getting out to the polls this coming Tuesday, November 2nd.
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Foursquare introduces “I Voted” badge
October 27th, 2010
When you go to vote this coming Tuesday, November 2nd, hop on Foursquare to check in at your polling place.
The location-based social media service will be offering an “I Voted” badge for the midterm elections, giving you a way to proudly announce your political participation to your whole network.
As described on Foursquare’s I Voted page, the project has three purposes: “to encourage civic participation, increase transparency in the voting process and develop a replicatable system for the 2012 Presidential Election.”
Foursquare has teamed up with Rock the Vote, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Voting Information Project, and Google to encourage its more than four million users to make voting the most popular trend on the web.
To earn the badge, all you have to do is go to your polling place, check in (and vote!), and then include the hashtag “ivoted” in your shout out. Your vote will then show up on an interactive map with more than 107,000 polling locations across the country.
Visit Foursquare.com to get the app for your phone and be ready to check in on November 2nd!
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Five myths about young voters
October 26th, 2010
Last week in the Washington Post, Rock the Vote President Heather Smith outlined five of the biggest myths about young voters.
Smith notes that candidates need to do a better job of reaching out to young voters and that despite improved technology for digital outreach, registration and Get-Out-the-Vote efforts must not leave out traditional methods of door knocking and face to face interaction.
On this myth that “With Facebook and text messages, there’s no need to knock on doors anymore,” Smith says:
“There’s nothing more powerful than a friend talking to a friend. A Facebook account or a text message blast does not replace personal outreach.”
In addition to talking with friends, you can also pledge to vote, and sign up to volunteer with Rock the Vote. Election Day is only a week away and there are some great Trick or Vote events lined up for Halloween weekend in Gainesville, Columbus, Philadelphia, and Chapel Hill. Volunteers for the Columbus event get to meet the band OK Go and see their show for free later that night and volunteers for the Chapel Hill event get to do the same with the band Passion Pit.
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HyperVocal: Your news, your generation
October 25th, 2010
A new site called HyperVocal provides young people with a look at today’s news cycle from the perspective of fellow members of their generation.
The site aims to serve as a voice for Millennials, offering young people’s perspectives on everything from viral videos to the midterm elections. HyperVocal is a unique destination, a place where young people can find news analysis and commentary from their peers all in one place. The site also supports a good cause, as a portion of the profits go to education and literacy programs to help educate young people.
As detailed on HyperVocal’s “About” page, the site “combines the best of what’s working on the web into one all-encompassing home page with a community feel. It’s a news aggregator of what’s relevant and important. It’s a constantly growing interconnected network of blogs from bright, young minds from around the world. It’s a smart, witty editorial team churning out timely original text, audio and video content. It’s the first place you’ll see all those viral videos you normally see 48 hours after everyone else. It’s entirely digital, entirely social, and entirely integrated with Facebook, Twitter and every major content-sharing portal on the web.”
In addition to content from the HyperVocal team, youth-serving organizations such as Rock the Vote have been featured as guest bloggers on the site and there are sure to be many more. Check it out and get a new take on news from your peers.
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Get answers with Rock the Vote’s Electionland
October 21st, 2010
Rock the Vote’s Electionland has experts ready to answer questions about elections in your state.
Each state’s page features answers to some of the most commonly asked questions including “Where do I go to vote?”, “What do I bring to the polls?”, “When do I vote?”, and “What’s on my ballot?”
The site also features online town halls with with candidates where you can ask them questions on the issues that matter to you.
We couldn’t explain Electionland much better than this post from Rock the Vote introducing the site:
“Think of it as a Yelp for politics. When you’re trying to figure out where to get the best slice of pizza after a night out in Seattle, you can see what other people have to say . . . some people love a place, some people don’t. You can read what they have to say and make up your mind. We’re trying to make voting this year as easy as deciding between Big Mario’s or Hot Mama’s.”
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With civic engagement comes civic education
October 21st, 2010
Every year at this time we hear the cynics say “If you’re not educated, don’t vote.”
We won’t name any names (or post any links), but they’re out there. They say there’s no point in registering a college student who seems too busy with midterm exams to pay attention to the midterm elections. They say some people are “too stupid” to vote. They say engaging those who are not up to date on every issue makes our democracy worse.
We say with engagement comes education. We say more participation not only makes our democracy stronger, but also leads to more active and educated citizens.
As our partner organizations register young people to vote, they are often asked questions about the candidates and issues involved with the upcoming election. If they can’t provide non-partisan answers to these questions, they direct young people to resources that help voters form their own opinions.
In addition to candidates websites, newspapers, and the like, many of our partner organizations include voter education as a key component of their registration and get out the vote efforts. On this blog, we’ve detailed a number of these resources, and there are countless more.
- 10Questions features candidates in some of the country’s hottest races answer tough questions from constituents via video.
- On TheBallot.org from The League of Young Voters, you can find local voter guides for your area or learn to create your own.
- Rock the Vote’s Electionland will answer any election-related question you have, features virtual town halls with candidates, and provides specific election information for every state.
- With Project Vote Smart’s Vote Easy, you can indicate your preferences on issues and it will show you which candidates most closely align with your positions.
Again, the list goes on, and with it the efforts to ensure that every voter in this country understands who and what they are voting for.
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Rock the Vote and celebs say “Vote Fearlessly”
October 19th, 2010
This week Rock the Vote launched a new PSA campaign featuring celebrities like Joaquin Phoenix, Kate Walsh, Dane Cook, David Banner, Nick Cannon, Casey Affleck, and Wayne Brady encouraging young people to “Vote Fearlessly” this November 2nd.
In addition to the video spots, which are set to air on networks such as CBS and online at sites like Hulu.com, celebrities like Perez Hilton and Nas recorded radio PSAs and many celebs helped “Tweet the Vote,” including Maroon 5, Pink, and OK Go.
The Vote Fearlessly campaign includes a number of ways you can get involved, including a pledge to vote and some great field events. Rock the Vote will be hosting Trick or Vote events in major youth-dense cities across the country and volunteers will celebrate these efforts with concerts such as Passion Pit at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill on Oct. 29 and OK Go at Ohio State on Oct. 31.
Check out one of the video PSAs below, pledge to vote fearlessly on November 2nd and sign up to join Rock the Vote’s street teams for Trick or Vote.
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Daily Deadline: ID, NY, NC, OK
October 8th, 2010
It’s the last day to register to vote in the following states:
Idaho, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma.
Click here to get the voter registration form. Print it, sign it, mail it. Please do it today.
Copy and send this link to friends who live in Idaho, New York, North Carolina and Oklahoma to get them registered to vote:
Cross posted from Rock the Vote
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Getting Out the Vote in Colorado
October 8th, 2010
Vote Again 2010 partners New Era Colorado and Rock the Vote are getting out the vote on college campuses all over Colorado.
There’s plenty of students and young people ready to vote, as the groups registered 5,000 young people in Boulder, including students from the University of Colorado campus and in Fort Collins, including students from Colorado State University. Voter registration efforts were also in full swing at the Colorado Springs and Auraria campuses of the University of Colorado, Colorado State’s Pueblo campus, and the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.
Rock the Vote and New Era Colorado will be at these schools all the way up to Election Day, making sure students have all the information they need, so stop by one of their events and pledge to vote! They’ll send you a reminder closer to November 2nd telling you when it’s time to cast your ballot.
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Vote Again 2010 Supporting Nationwide Week of Action
September 28th, 2010
This week, our partner organizations are everywhere – on the ground in more than 30 states and 20 cities, mobilizing young voters and registering them to vote. Today we officially announced a Week of Action featuring creative voter registration drives and Get Out the Events on college campuses and in communities across the nation.
Here are just a few examples of what’s going on to get young people engaged and excited about the midterm elections:
- The Bus Federation’s volunteers and staff will be on the ground pounding pavement and working community and 4-year college campuses to register and re-register voters in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The Bus has already registered tens of thousands of voters in 2010. In these communities, be on the lookout for the Vote Bot Army or other telltale signs of Bus-style organizing.
- Rock the Vote will be rocking the tailgates at college football games across the country including the University of North Carolina versus East Carolina and North Carolina State versus Virginia Tech. They’ll also be registering young voters in Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Colorado, and on more campuses in North Carolina. All events will have a fun component such as music, games, prizes and more! You can find an event near you by clicking here.
- The student chapters of Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) have some really creative voter registration drives happening today and more on the way, including a pirate-style “vote boat” (“Arrr you registered?!) by CALPIRG students at UC Berkley, a Green Bay Packers-themed “Pack the polls” event by WISPIRG students at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, and a volunteer dressed as a giant “votebot” by students at PennPIRG students at Penn State University. The MASSPIRG (MassPIRG) will hold an event at the University of Massachusetts called “Voting is Bananas,” for which it has constructed a giant banana that will be the center of attention on campus.
- At the University of Kansas in Lawrence, the League of Women Voters will hold a community forum on promoting a fair and impartial judiciary by sponsoring a conversation with Judge Deanell Tacha of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. Invited guests include community leaders, city and county commissioners, elected officials and District judges, and faculty from Kansas University Law School.
To find out how you can get involved with all of this exciting work to mobilize energetic and enthusiastic young voters, visit our ACT NOW page, check out the tool labeled GET INVOLVED, and type in your zip code to find cool events near you.
While the political climate may be different this year, young people are still ready and waiting to vote on November 2nd. A recent Rock the Vote poll found that 77 percent young people said they are likely to vote this fall. Join Vote Again 2010 and help make sure everyone is registered so that the voice of our entire generation is heard come Election Day.
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The deadlines are coming! Are you registered to vote?
September 21st, 2010
We know – it happened so fast – but the voter registration deadlines are coming. Beginning in two weeks, 23 states have voter registration deadlines, including 18 on Monday, October 4! Many more states will follow suit the week after. Now is the time to sign up to participate in your democracy and have your say this fall.
We’re talking to you, college students who have moved since the last election… and you, people who are unsure whether or not you’re registered… and you, newly eligible voters. We’re talking to every young person who cares about their future. And we promise, it’s really easy to make your voice heard.
Check out Rock the Vote’s online election center for specific information about your state’s deadlines. If you need to register, you can do it right from our home page. And you should. Taking five minutes to make sure you’re registered means a lifetime of power in shaping your future.
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Universities must help students register to vote
September 21st, 2010
Douglas R. Heiss and Steven Rosenfeld published an article last week explaining universities’ legal obligation to help their students register to vote. While the Higher Education Act puts a legal obligation on universities, there is also a moral obligation for universities to help their students register to vote. Why? Because students face greater hurdles to registration and voting by virtue of their status as students. The Fair Elections Legal Network recently outlined these barriers (and many solutions) in its Issue Brief:
Student and Youth Registration and Voting.
Under the Higher Education Act schools can discharge their obligation by sending an email to all students with a link to the voter registration form. While sending an email is helpful, it is hardly enough. The Fair Elections Legal Network has produced a helpful document which outlines many additional steps universities can take to help their students register and vote: Best Practices to Help Students Register and Vote.
With Rock The Vote releasing a poll last week showing that 77% of 18-29 year olds plan to vote this year, hopefully universities will play their part and help their students to register and vote.
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