New Voters Project
Politicians hardly ever talk about issues that matter to people our age. So many campaign ads are about issues like prescription drugs and Social Security. But there are a lot of important things going on right now that affect our lives-getting a good job, paying for college, protecting the environment, deciding what happens with the war in Iraq. Not all of us have the same opinion on these issues, but right now politicians aren't listening to our opinions at all. And why should they? The fact is that less than half of 18-to-24-year-olds vote, compared to 70 percent of older people. Our New Voters Project is working to make politicians pay attention. The best way to do that is to turn out and vote - that's the only thing they listen to, and we know that if we turn out in a big way, we could end the cycle of neglect that exists between politicians and young people.
Youth Civic Participation Has Been Declining
The strength of a democracy is measured by the participation of its citizens, particularly the participation of its younger citizens. Throughout history, students have been at the forefront of change, because we have the idealism, the resources and the time to commit to reshaping our society. But now, youth civic engagement has been on the decline, and this trend points to a troubling future for our democracy. Over the past two decades young people have been turning out to vote in declining numbers. Only 36 percent of the eligible youth population between the ages of 18 and 24 voted in 2000, compared to 70 percent of older people.
Election 2004: Mobilizing Half A Million Young Voters
In fall 2004, NJPIRG Student Chapters and the student PIRGs sponsored the largest youth voter mobilization campaign in history. The New Voters Project registered and turned out young people with peer-to-peer contact-young people asking other young people to vote. Our techniques included door-to-door canvassing, phone banks, outreach at public events, high school and college campus-based outreach, partnerships with local organizations and businesses, and precinct-based turnout operations in 2,500 precincts on Election Day. Nationwide, the New Voters Project registered over half a million new voters, including over 400,000 18-to-24-year olds. And leading up to election day, we made reminders to over 500,000 young voters. In 2004, turnout among young voters increased by 11% compared to 2000 - an increase four times greater than that for the general population.
Election 2005
For the 2005 gubernatorial election, NJPIRG Student Chapters continued our efforts. We registered 5000 young voters and made 16,000 peer-to-peer contacts leading up to election day.
An analysis of raw data by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) at the University of Maryland indicates that young people voted in bigger numbers in the gubernatorial election in New Jersey in 2005 than they did in 2001. The number of votes cast in precincts with a high concentration of college students increased by an average of 19.9%.
The New Voters Project 2006
In fall 2006, NJPIRG and the
student PIRGs worked on 80 college campuses in twenty states to boost voter
turnout. Our hardworking coalition partners and student leaders registered
75,000 students to vote, and leading up to Election Day we made 94,000
personalized Get Out the Vote reminders either over the phone or
face-to-face.
The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) measured the turnout increase between 2002 and 2006 in student-dense precincts where we and other partners focused our efforts. The analysis focused on a set of 36 precincts in Ohio, Connecticut, Iowa, Colorado, and Michigan and found that average turnout in those precincts increased by 157% over 2002. Nationally, the increase in youth voter turnout was four times the rate of the general population’s increase (4% for youth, 1% overall).
Launching a New Civic Education Program
After the fall 2005 election, students at Rutgers decided to expand the New Voters Project. In addition to continuing efforts to turn out young voters across the state, NJPIRG Student Chapters will be reaching out to high school students to make sure they’re prepared to become the state's newest voters. The program will include registering students to vote, educating them about their rights as voters, and conducting educational programs about civics and democratic participation.
