Rock the Vote Registers Record Breaking 2 Millionth Voter
As many states’ voter registration deadlines come to a close tonight, Rock the Vote is celebrating Morgan Reed-Parker, a 17 year old from North Carolina, our 2 millionth registration of the 2008 election cycle. Rock the Vote’s 2008 registration campaign, the largest youth registration drive in history, has engaged young people from all 50 states and D.C. in this election through online, mobile, and grassroots outreach.
Morgan registered to vote on Sunday for the first time, she is turning 18 before the upcoming November election. Like so many young American, Morgan is concerned about the economy. “This election is extremely important for my generation. As I leave home and become responsible for my own finances, I want to know that our economy is stable,” said Morgan.
From Rock the Vote’s early 2008 work hosting mock caucuses in Iowa high schools, we knew young people were going to play a historic role in this year’s elections. During the 2008 primaries and caucuses, young voter turnout doubled, tripled and quadruped in nearly every state, proving young people were engaged and taking action in this election.
Rock the Vote’s role in this year’s youth vote phenomenon has been to fuel young adults’ energy with a strategic outreach campaign, combining cutting-edge technology, creative new programs, and tried-and-true grassroots outreach. Whether it’s reaching out to gamers through our partnership with Microsoft and Xbox Live, teaming up with Sheryl Crow to offer free music downloads for encouraging friends to register to vote, or tabling at music festivals and presidential debates, we are making sure every young person is educated, informed and registered to vote on November 4th.
Recently, we took our efforts to the streets, to build our community street teams, engage new voters in person, and inspire millions to get involved. We have been criss-crossing the country through The Road Trip 08 a state of the art mobile bus traveling through key states registering voters and educating them on the issues at stake.
“The power of our vote is extraordinary. Young voters are in a position to shape the political landscape for decades to come,” said Heather Smith, executive director of Rock the Vote.
Already it’s a historic year for Rock the Vote. In addition to our record breaking 2 million registration downloads, we have engaged more than 2.5 million members and over 100,000 mobile phone activists, plus innovative online programs are attracting the attention of tens of millions on our website.
But our work doesn’t stop there; with 28 days until we decide the future leader of our country, there is still work to be done. We are asking young people to sign our pledge to vote and invite five of their friends to join them for a “party at the polls” on November 4th. In 2004, 82% of registered young people voted; given the incredible increase in young voter registration this year, we are looking forward to record levels of young voters at the polls in November.
About Rock the Vote:
Rock the Vote is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that does not endorse candidates or political parties. Our mission is to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country. Rock the Vote uses music, popular culture and new technologies to engage and incite young people to register and vote in every election. And we give young people the tools to identify, learn about, and take action on the issues that affect their lives, and leverage their power in the political process. Rock the Vote is creative, effective, and controlled by nobody’s agenda but our own – we tell it like it is and pride ourselves on being a trusted source for information on politics. We empower the 45 million young people in America who want to step up, claim their voice in the political process, and change the way politics is done. www.rockthevote.org.