Calling All Young Folks In NC and IN!

Are you ready? Voter registration deadlines are quickly approaching for Indiana (April 7) and North Carolina (April 11). Register right here on our site so you're able to cast your ballot at the upcoming primary happening in your states on May 6.

I Vote Because...

We taped PSAs all day long with some of our favorite indie, pop, rock and hip-hop bands when we were at South by Southwest last month. 2 Live Crew, Hanson, Joshua James and many others showed us some love. Check it out, then post comments about why you vote!

Just for PA

We have two great new PSA's for Pennsylvania. Check them out:

Should They or Shouldn't They?

Senate Bill 436 is currently being reviewed by Congress. If it’s passed, 17-year-olds across the country will be eligible to vote in local, state and Presidential primaries as long as their 18 by Election Day. At Rock the Vote, we know the sooner young folks become involved in making decisions that shape our country, the more likely we will continue to exercise our voting right. In fact, 11 states allow 17-year-olds to vote; and participation by young voters between 18-24 in those states exceed the national average. If the steady rise in young voter turnout we’ve witnessed since ’04 is any indication of our increased interest in politics, let’s hope Congress is wise and passes a bill that will continue to empower, engage and encourage the next generation to be involved and believe in our Country’s political process and system.

Day 2 @ South by Southwest

N.E.R.D stopped by to film a PSA with us before performing at the Cornerstone/Fader Lounge.

Six Million Loud

Rock the Vote's latest tally shows that 6.4 million of you have voted in primaries and caucuses so far in 2008, an incredible 2.2 million more than in the last comparable Democratic (2004) and Republican (2000) primaries.

Way to go. And the cool thing is that the 2.2 million is a lowball, because we can only compare your turnout in states that kept track of turnout in 2004 or 2000. So it doesn't even include your awesome showings in Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina, and a few other states where we know young voters rocked the polls.

Kentucky, West Virginia, and Oregon - you going to keep it up? Find out upcoming election dates or more info here.

Up By 12% and It's Only May

An article by the Center for American Progress came out yesterday with some new polling on the Millennial Generation.

You can't ignore us any longer; the numbers are out. We're the only age group this election to have a 12% increase in voter turnout. And the general election is still six months away!

And Millennials are voting at increasingly high rates. Though young people are less likely to vote than older people, Millennials are starting to close the gap. “In the primary elections held thus far in 2008,” noted a Pew Research Center paper, “voter turnout has been up sharply, especially among young people.” And the increases in voting for Millennials this year come on top of other recent increases. In 2004, “turnout among young voters increased 12 percent compared to 2000, the biggest increase in any single age group.” As the director of Rock the Vote argues: “2008 is set to become the third major election in a row with an increase in turnout among young voters.”

Mya Rocks the Vote

"Chicago" star Mya rocks the vote in rehearsal for CBS's "Secret Talents of
the Stars" airing live on Tuesday, April 8th @ 10pm EST.

Rock the Vote Fights Back

Last Sunday Catherine Rampell wrote an article for The Washington Post titled, “Why Obama Rocks the Vote?,” overlooking the depth of the young voter movement, the foundation laid and impact of organizations like Rock the Vote and other youth organizations, and why 2008 is on track to be the third major election in a row with a significant increase in young voter turnout

Rock the Vote fought back and wrote a letter-to-the-editor (LTE) of the Washington Post, and called on our brother and sister organizations to do the same. We are happy to report The Washington Post ran our LTE and an LTE from Public Interest Research Groups' New Voter (PIRG) and U.S. Student Association (USSA) yesterday. Check them out right here...

Rock the Vote's Response
Catherine Rampell's March 30 op-ed column, "Why Obama Rocks the Vote," falsely framed recent surges in turnout of young adults -- voters ages 18 to 29 -- and failed to recognize the important work done by nonpartisan organizations such as Rock the Vote.

Turnout of these young voters in fall elections increased by 4.3 million in 2004 and by another 2 million in 2006. Far from being an anomaly, 2008 is set to become the third major election in a row with an increase in turnout among young voters.

While Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is doing excellent work engaging young adults this year, our research shows that registration is a major step toward participation. In 2004, 82 percent of registered young adults voted, up from 74 percent in 2000. In 2004, Rock the Vote registered nearly 1 million voters, and already in 2008, more than 500,000 young adults have used our online tool to register to vote. Like the Obama campaign, Rock the Vote's message embraces the hopeful spirit of the millennial generation, and our tested and proven strategies of peer-to-peer mobilization reflect youth culture.

We're seeing unprecedented engagement in the primaries and caucuses so far and are confident we'll see this continue through November.

-- Heather Smith
The writer is executive director of Rock the Vote.

PIRG and USSA's Response
Catherine Rampell's analysis of trends in youth voting was misleading. Youth voter turnout was on the rise long before the 2008 elections. In 2004 alone, turnout among those ages 18 to 24 rose at a rate nearly three times that of the general population.

Rampell also ignored a vast body of research that points to the efficacy of canvasses, phone banks and other on-the-ground grass-roots methods. It's likely that this research, combined with the increase in turnout, persuaded most of the candidates to pay more attention to young people this primary season, turbocharging the youth vote even more.

By ignoring this correlation, Rampell missed a chance to explain the exciting continued increase in young voter turnout.

-- Sujatha Jahagirdar, Los Angeles

-- Carmen Berkley, Washington

Sujatha Jahagirdar is program director for Student Public Interest Research Groups' New Voter Project, and Carmen Berkley is vice president of the U.S. Student Association.

Rock the Vote on One Tree Hill

Last night, all of my worlds collided in the form of a television show. The Monday night episode of One Tree Hill “Hate is Safer than Love,” premiered on the CW. It featured angst, beautiful people, great music and Rock the Vote.

In case you missed it, a brief recap: at the beginning of the winter season Peyton discovered new talent in the form of a girl named Mia, played by singer Kate Voegele. Throughout the season, we’ve seen Mia record an album and go on tour (which is really happening for Kate, signed with MySpace Records). Monday’s episode has Mia getting a great opportunity to record a Rock the Vote PSA.

Staring straight into a camera, sporting a classy black RTV t-shirt she says that it has been a year of firsts for her…recording an album, going on tour, and mostly importantly the first time she can vote. She goes on to conclude that while she uses her voice daily, voting is a way for all people to use their voice, “so use it. Let it be heard. Rock The Vote.”

In addition to this, three key members of the cast shot a “real” Rock the Vote PSA. We hope you all enjoy it. And, let us know…is this a year of firsts for you? The first time you’ve agreed with a candidate, the first time you haven’t lived at home, the first time you’ve been able to vote, or maybe you are just now registering to vote. No matter what it is for you, we hope you’ll be voting in this election cycle, first time or twentieth time.

ROCK THE VOTE!

Vote for Human Rights Here in the US

If you haven't already, be sure to read The Washington Post's four part series on the violations facing those undocumented immigrants being held in detention centers across the country.

Most of these people are working-class men and women or indigent laborers who did something illegal (but rarely something that poses a threat to national security). Others are asylum seekers (I doubt being drugged and denied medical care was the type of asylum they were seeking).

The basic conditions in some of the detainee facilities are so bad that they've led to a multitude of preventable deaths. From the WaPo:

Some 83 detainees have died in, or soon after, custody during the past five years. The deaths are the loudest alarms about a system teetering on collapse. Actions taken -- or not taken -- by medical staff members may have contributed to 30 of those deaths, according to confidential internal reviews and the opinions of medical experts who reviewed some death files for The Post.

According to an analysis by The Post, most of the people who died were young. Thirty-two of the detainees were younger than 40, and only six were 70 or older. The deaths took place at dozens of sites across the country. The most at one location was six at the San Pedro compound near Los Angeles.

But don't just get heated: do something about it. Register to vote and choose the legislators who have the power to protect human rights. And in the short term, write your Representative and tell them to support the Detainee Basic Medical Care Act, which guarantees adequate and timely medical care to detainees. Tell them you're young. Tell them you vote. Tell them this is unacceptable.

I Voted, Will You?

Young Voters are the New Pink

Or the new orange? The new indigo?

I can't keep track, but either way, point is that the youth vote's hot this year. Presidential candidates can't seem to get enough of us:

• Barack Obama has made youth vote outreach an integral part of his campaign, beginning in Iowa and on down to Indiana. From the early days of Students for Barack Obama and the "million-strong" Facebook group, to recent efforts in IN and NC and the launch of Vote for Change, the Obama campaign has embraced the youth vote in 2008.
  

• John McCain is vowing to fight for the youth vote. His campaign manager, speaking in April to GOP leaders from around the country, said "we've got to go after this segment" in 2008, and Senator McCain has announced his intention to "contest every youth vote" in November.
  

• Hillary Clinton ramped up her youth outreach going into the New Hampshire primary. Key players in "Hillblazers" and other youth outreach efforts have been her daughter, Chelsea Clinton, and celebrities America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn, and youth outreach has been a part of the campaign right up to yesterday's West Virginia primary.
  

Against Me in Rolling Stone

Check out the latest article in Rolling Stone featuring Against Me!

Early Voting in IN and NC

If you're a North Carolina or Indiana voter, you don't need to wait until the May 6 Primary-- you can vote today!

Early voting sites are open all around NC until May 3. If you forgot to register to vote in North Carolina, no worries. If you vote early, you can register on site. Just remember to bring an ID, and proof of residency if you have it.

In Indiana, you can vote absentee-in-person from now until the elections

College students: you probably don't need a reminder, but May 6 is an exam day for UNC system schools, and school's out for most of you in Indiana. If you've got a Chem 101 exam or a History paper, take a break from studying and get your voting out of the way. If you're leaving for summer break, don't forget to vote before you leave town.

From state to state, young voter turnout had doubled, tripled, and sometimes even quadrupled. NC and IN might have late primaries, but people are looking to you to see if you'll keep the trend. Don't let them down!

Nutmeg State Moves Toward 17 Year Old Primary Vote

Good news! Two days ago, the Connecticut House of Representatives passed a bill to allow 17 year olds to vote in primary elections if they'll be 18 by the time of the general election.

The overwhelming bipartisan support in the House (vote count was 135-12) is a good sign for down the road, when the bill heads to the state Senate and eventually to the statewide ballot in 2010.

Nine other states already allow 17 year olds to vote in primaries if they'll be 18 by the time of the general election: Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia. Others - most recently New Hampshire - are working to make that happen.

Invite: A Better Deal Conference

You're invited! Check out the "A Better Deal" conference, sponsored by Demos and in partnership with Rock the Vote and a bunch of other great organizations. The event is in D.C. on May 8th and 9th.

WHAT: Hundreds of young activists meeting to learn about their generation's economic crisis. The conference is not just about ideas, though – it's about action. Attendees will get the tools to connect politics to the personal financial struggles of young voters, and get hooked up with others to build a movement for a better deal in their communities.

Activists will also have a chance to design and participate in their own, user-generated workshops. Register today to submit your idea. This conference is FREE and limited travel scholarships are available.

WHO:
-You
-Hundreds of other young activists
-Speakers: Andy Stern, SEIU, Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation, Heather Smith, Rock the Vote, Tom Manatos, Office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Shannon Augare, Montana State Legislature, Rob Brown, Opportunity Maine, Michael Connery, author, Youth to Power, Maya Enista, Mobilize.org, Colonel Michael F. Hayden, USAF (Ret.), Ian Kim, Ella Baker Center, Chris Lindstrom, The Student PIRGs, Gabriel Pendas, U.S. Student Association, Andrea Batista Schlesinger, Drum Major Institute, Erica Williams, Campus Progress, and more.

WHEN AND WHERE:
May 8 & May 9
The Liaison Capitol Hill
415 New Jersey Ave. NW, WASHINGTON, DC

For more information, check out www.abetterdealconference.org

Pennsylvania Rocks the Vote

According to CIRCLE, youth turnout was at least 14% for the primary last night -- over 276,000 18-29 year olds.

Now, this is somewhat complicated because there were no exit polls for the Republican Primary last night. Since exit polls are the only method we have for determining the youth vote, we know that the actual turnout % is certainly higher since it excludes all young Republican primary voters.

Regardless though, promising numbers so far!

Against Me! Rocks the Vote

We teamed up with the Florida punk band Against Me! to create a dynamic, brand-new public service announcement campaign (PSA) designed to tap into the mounting excitement that young people have shown for this year’s presidential candidates and the 2008 election.

Broadcast and video versions of the PSA hit airwaves today and encourage young people, who are already turning out to the polls in record numbers, to register to vote and cast their ballots in November’s important election.

The PSA features footage of Against Me! performing “Stop!” — the new single from their current Sire Records’ album New Wave. Directed by Directed by Mark Klasfeld (Foo Fighters, Gnarls Barkley, Jay-Z), it is centered on a red draped polling booth surrounded and inspired by a set of issues that come alive—everything from pro-choice/pro life protestors defending their position to a solider peaking through the curtain. The voting booth is a metaphor for all of the issues that are important to individuals that could be changed by voting; everything from heath care to the environment. These issues intermix with the band’s performance to a point where the voting booth sparks and explodes symbolizing the urgency and nature of this Presidential election.

Check out the article in USA Today!

Good Move for Voting Rights

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you'd like to vote in an upcoming election, but when you try and register you find out the registration deadline has passed?

There are eight states where this doesn't happen - these states allow eligible citizens to register right at the polls on Election Day. (called Election Day Registration or EDR)

These states have some of the highest rates of voter participation, including among young voters. In 2004, turnout in EDR states was 74%, compared to 60% in non-EDR states.

Wouldn't it be nice if all states were like this?

Later this week, Senators Russ Feingold (WI) and Amy Klobuchar (MN) and Congressman Keith Ellison (MN) are introducing the Election Day Registration Act, a bill that would make EDR a reality in all states.

From Senator Feingold's press release on the bill:

“The right to vote is at the heart of our democracy, and we should constantly be looking for ways to make it easier for Americans to exercise that right,” Feingold said. “Election Day registration has worked well in Wisconsin for more than 30 years and is a major reason why Wisconsin is a national leader in voter turnout. By allowing people to register in person on Election Day, we can bring more people into the process, which only strengthens our democracy."

Entries Are Rolling In

Already, reports are rolling in from people who have entered to win the Rock the Trail contest. We're looking for fresh perspectives on this year's election, on the issues that matter, and what's inspiring young voters to go to the polls.

Already, we're seeing frank images from journalists like Brittny Nielsen:


We're reading inspiring words from reporters like Archana Prasanna:

“My vision for the United States in 2015 is an optimistic one. Firstly, I envision a world it will be far more environmentally friendly... My hope is that universal health care will be implemented in the near future... The United States has gained a bad reputation among various countries around the world. We are misunderstood since our actions don't always correlate with our principles. I anticipate that in 2015, America will be looked at differently."

You could call political action the ultimate act of self-confidence. Whether that be a group or an individual, there is a moment, where we are so sure that we have no choice but to make ourselves heard. The trick is knowing that you CAN. You can do anything.

I owe my renewed faith in my ability to express my ideas to Kate Nash's song "Merry Happy." Leave it to the sassy British girl to teach the gay American boy how to speak out.

Supremely Wrong

Unfortunately, democracy took a blow today when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Indiana's strictest-in-the-nation voter ID law. See Rock the Vote's statement below:

Supreme Court Photo ID Ruling a Blow to American Democracy

Voting Rights of Young Adults, Low-Income, Minority Voters, Elderly at Risk

April 28, 2008 - Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Indiana’s strict photo identification requirement for voters does not violate the constitutional right to vote. The ruling, upholding a decision by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, immediately impacts only Indiana voters but could have far-reaching effects should other states move forward to enact similar laws.

Rock the Vote condemns today’s ruling, which will disenfranchise young, low-income, minority and elderly voters in Indiana, and presents additional barriers to the fundamental right to vote.

“In a year when young adults are turning out to vote in record numbers, it’s shameful to see the Court issue a ruling that can only dampen this surge in political participation,” said Heather Smith, Executive Director of Rock the Vote. “Thankfully, this ruling only directly impacts one state: Indiana,” continued Smith. “We hope that other states will avoid playing politics with the right to vote and recognize that laws like the one in Indiana do significant harm to our democracy.”

In Rock the Vote’s most recent poll of 18-29 year olds, 19 percent reported that they did not have a government-issued photo ID with their current address, indicating that as many as one in five young adults could be disenfranchised by a restrictive law such as the one in Indiana or variations on ID laws in other states. Young adults, who move frequently and/or are likely to be in college, tend to be among those most adversely affected by laws requiring state-issued photo identification. Other demographics affected adversely by this law include senior citizens, low-income adults, and minority voters.

The Supreme Court’s decision, available at http://www.supremecourtus.gov, reveals troubling thinking behind this ruling:

1) The Court admits in its ruling that the reasoning behind imposing this strict law – the desire to prevent voter fraud – was inapplicable in Indiana. In its ruling, the Court stated “the record contains no evidence that the fraud…in-person voter impersonation at polling places – has actually occurred in Indiana…” (page 2, emphasis added)

2) The Court also downgrades the constitutional right to vote. Justice Scalia, joined by Justices Thomas and Alito, stated “petitioners’ premise that the voter-identification law might have imposed a special burden on some voters is irrelevant.” (page 3, emphasis added)

3) Finally, the Court states that the burden of obtaining this identification is not “a significant increase over the usual burdens of voting” (page 3), reiterating the sentiment behind the Seventh Circuit’s shocking statement that voters who do not obtain the required identification are choosing to “disenfranchise themselves” rather than go to “the expense of obtaining a photo ID.”

Rock the Vote condemns today’s ruling and encourages other states not to follow Indiana’s lead, but to instead support the participation of young voters in 2008 and beyond by ensuring citizens’ rights to vote are priority number one in our electoral system.

Rock the Vote signed onto a brief amicus curiae in support of the petitioners in this case, along with other youth groups including the Student Association for Voter Empowerment and the National Black Law Students Association. Throughout 2008, Rock the Vote will be providing information on voter registration and voting to young Americans as part of our work to register two million 18-29 year olds to vote and increase young voter turnout for the third election in a row. In addition, we will be keeping a close eye on voting rights to ensure no eligible American is denied the right to vote.

Rocking the Hoosier-Heel Primary

Nice - all you out there in Indiana and North Carolina rocked the primaries again yesterday, making up significant portions of the electorate in both states.

Young voters' continued surge at the polls even impressed the most skeptical political reporters - for example, in today's Washington Post column "The Hoosier-Heel Primary: Winners and Losers," young voters are listed as one of yesterday's big winners:

Young Voters: No age group has been more ridiculed for their lack of participation than those under 30. But in Indiana that age group comprised 16* percent of the overall vote while those 65 or older comprised 15 percent...

I Vote Because...

If you haven't noticed yet, we've got a poll going on our new site.

http://www.rockthevote.com/take-issue/

Why are you voting this year?



We heard from musicians at South by Southwest. Now we want to hear from you. It just takes a second to tell the world why this election matters to you.

Vote Tomorrow on New GI Bill

Approximately three-quarters of the men and women serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan are under 30 years of age, part of the Millennial Generation we highlight here on this blog so often.

They're also part of that same generation that's having a devil of a time making ends meet, not least due to the rising cost of college and increasing burden of student loans.

So I wanted to give you all the heads up that tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a bill that would expand the G.I. Bill for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The bill has broad support. In the Senate, the effort to expand the GI Bill is led by Jim Webb (D-VA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE), both veterans; in Congress, nearly 300 members have expressed support for the bill.

From Bob Herbert's column in the issue:

Reinvigorating the GI bill is one of the best things this nation could do. The original GI Bill of Rights, signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1944, paid the full load of a returning veteran's education at a college or technical school and provided a monthly stipend. It was an investment that paid astounding dividends. Millions of veterans benefited, and they helped transform the nation. College would no longer be the exclusive preserve of the wealthy and those who crowned themselves the intellectual elite.