Rock the Vote Announces #TruthToPower Campaign to Boost Participation of Millennial Voters in 2016 General Election
Rock the Vote, the 25-year-old nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging and building the political power of young people, today announced a $4.5 million campaign called “Truth to Power” to increase Millennial participation in the 2016 general election. The campaign aims to register an additional 2 million young voters before November and help drive turnout of voters under 30 in targeted battleground states. Rock the Vote will officially launch Truth to Power at sponsored events at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland and the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia the following week.
Rock the Vote’s Truth to Power campaign will include digital and on-the-ground voter registration drives and election turnout efforts in 12 key battleground states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Virginia. Rock the Vote will partner with top entertainment and creative talent to create a series of compelling political content aimed at engaging and mobilizing Millennials throughout the general election season that will be featured in a fall 2016 national bus tour featuring appearances by Rock the Vote artists, musicians and cultural leaders.
“Throughout this election season, we’ve seen young people across the country taking a stand, demanding change and fighting for a system and leaders that work for us,” said Rock the Vote President Carolyn DeWitt. “Speaking truth to power — through engagement, through activism and through our votes — is how young people have shaped the world around us for generations. We know what’s at stake in November, and we’re ready to play a real role in the outcome.
In addition to an increased investment in existing registration and turnout efforts, Rock the Vote’s Truth to Power campaign will include new partnerships with Voto Latino, a civic media organization working to engage, educate and empower Latinos to be agents of change; PushBlack, the first mobile-based black civic engagement group; and APIAVote, a national nonpartisan organization that works to mobilize Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in electoral and civic participation. These three partnerships will focus specifically on engaging young people of color around critical issues that are at stake in this year’s election and driving voter participation and turnout.
“Young voters are the largest, most diverse electorate and this election will be a referendum on our future. Our issues have never been more pressing: student debt, wage equity, criminal justice reform, the environment, choice and immigration are all on the ballot,” said María Teresa Kumar, President & CEO of Voto Latino. “Voto Latino is excited to partner with Rock the Vote as we work to empower young people across the country, not as siloed organizations, but as one powerful voice.”
Additional partnerships with twenty different nonprofit organizations, corporate partners and media outlets will enable the Truth to Power campaign to serve as a dominant force in driving Millennial participation in the general election.
In recent presidential elections, Millennial voters have been a decisive voice in key battleground states, including Ohio and Florida in both 2008 and 2012. Driven by passionate Millennials across the country committed to a movement of bold, progressive change, Rock the Vote’s Truth to Power campaign aims to again help Millennials decide the 2016 presidential election. For more information on the Truth to Power campaign, visit rockthevote.com/truthtopower.
About Rock the Vote:
Rock the Vote is the largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization in the country driving the youth vote to the polls. Since 1990, Rock the Vote has fused pop culture, music, art and technology to fulfill its mission of building long-term youth political power. During the past six Presidential elections, Rock the Vote ran the largest voter registration drives for young people and has partnered with more than 25,000 partners through its online, multi-lingual voter registration tool. Rock the Vote is dedicated to mobilizing the vote, protecting voting rights and advocating for an electoral process and voting system that works for the Millennial generation, America’s largest and most diverse population in history. To get Rock the Vote updates on upcoming events, election reminders and candidate, visit RocktheVote.com. Engage on social media, by following Rock the Vote on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @rockthevote.