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Youth Mobilization. American “Youth”. The recruiting and empowerment of American youth to register, volunteer, vote, and remain politically active. Young adults between the ages of 18-24. Youth Mobilization. Election Turnout. In 2000, 36% of American Youth voted
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American “Youth” The recruiting and empowerment of American youth to register, volunteer, vote, and remain politically active. Young adults between the ages of 18-24 Youth Mobilization
Election Turnout • In 2000, 36% of American Youth voted • In 2004, 47% of American Youth voted • For the primaries and caucuses of 2008, 6.5 million Americans under 30 voted at the polls. CIRCLE and Data Collection • Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement
Causes for the Rise The American Youth increase in registration and voting can be attributed to: • Investments in voting programs • Partisan and non-partisan groups • CIRCLE: Over $40 million in 2004 • Personal Political Empowerment • Genuine Opportunity • Remodeling of political treatment
Voting Programs • Government • Armed Services voting assistance • Social/Political • Young Democrats of America • Young Republican National Federation • Rock the Vote • Campaign Efforts to reach youth (McCain, Obama) • Ethnic • SAAVY (South Asian American Voting Youth) • Black Youth Vote (The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation) • Native Vote (National Congress of American Indians)
Political Empowerment • American Youth given renewed appreciation • Easier access to information on political issues • Language Reconstruction • Given the support to: • Be involved in Election • Become educated on political issues • Volunteer • Remain active in political activities
Marketing Efforts • Interpersonal • Relevancy of interest • Genuine Opportunity • Peer to Peer • Chain Reaction • “Grassroots” • Encouraging recruitment • Variety of Mediums
Participation • Registering • Volunteer/Support • VOTE • Continued Activity
Rock the Vote • Started in Los Angeles in 1990 • A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded “to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country” • Combined with 15 non-partisan groups in 2006 • Combined with Youth Voter Strategies in 2007 • Worked with CNN, Rolling Stone, AT&T, and Bothervoting.org
Rock the Vote • Outcomes: • Helped to provided registration to over 2.3 million American citizens • Provided immeasurable amounts of information and materials for Youth to pass on • Projections for Youth voter turnout have been skeptical. Rock the Vote disagrees. • Rock the Vote prides themselves in registering voters.
Rock the Vote • Criticism • Financial troubles • Reconstruction by Hans Riemer • Mocking the Draft • Letter from the RNC • Non-partisan? • Fred Goldring and “Yes We Can” music video • Liberal Publications • Partnering with MTV
Information Credits CIRCLE: http://www.civicyouth.org/ Connelly, Michael. “Rock the Vote and Young Voter Strategies Merge”. Future Majority. August 9, 2007. http://futuremajority.com/node/623 “GOP Pressures Rock the Vote to Stop Talking about the Draft”. October 19, 2004. http://www.democracynow.org/2004/10/19/gop_pressures_rock_the_vote_to Scribe Video Center. Why Vote? Car Poll Election 2008. Photograph, 2008. http://www.flickr.com/photos/16439531@N02/2505718206/ Huso, Deborah. “How to… Increase the Youth Vote.” August 27, 2008. http://www.generationengage.org/youthtoday08-27-08.html “Obama and the Youth Vote”. Five Thirty Eight. August 10, 2008. http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/08/youth-vote-yes-he-can.html Pisacik, Chris. AIGA “Get Out the Vote”. Poster Design, 2008. http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrispiascik/2457588128/. Rock the Vote: http://www.rockthevote.org/