Donny Hathaway and the Year 2025

[Editor's note: This post is one in a series from Rock the Trail Reporters on what kind of music inspires them to rock the vote.]

Soul singer Donny Hathaway is the reason I spell my name with a "y" and not an "ie." His songs reflect a lot of the troubles I go through while still making me feel hopeful. He deals with fear, acceptance, death, faith – things that aren't just on my mind, but on the minds of many young people. He sings and writes songs from a real and vulnerable place, motivating me to do the same with my writing.

If We Ruled the World

The more cynical side of me thinks nothing major will be different by 2015. People will be people, government will be government and Oprah will be king. But if I could have it my way (like another king says), it would go some thing like this (cue the wavy daydream lines):

The war is over. All over the world, mothers and fathers get their sons and daughters back from war zones. In my vision of 2015, the war will have been over for some years, but it won't be far from the minds of young Americans. We won't forget the time when we fought a war for the wrong reasons. The "vacuum effect" many pro-war supporters predicted never happened and the Iraqi government is self-sustaining. America is popular again and is no longer seen as the country equivalent of Britney Spears: the one hot girl that everyone admired until something went terribly wrong. We are no longer seen as the nation that hurts before it helps. We prove this to the world by starting at home: We rebuild New Orleans (all of it!!). We do our very best to kick our oil addiction. It's very hard for us, but we take it one day at a time. The greatest gains will be made by the youth: Young people will continue to build powerful communities on-line, and create their own form of honest media. The power that we gained by so radically changing the outcome of the 2008 election will inspire us to become even more involved. Candidates will no longer ignore us and youth media will host the most important debates in upcoming elections. We will use our power wisely and the world will be a better place.

Rock the Vote and American Teen

[Ed.'s note: Jocelyn Sida covered the premiere of American Teen as a Rock the Trail Reporter. The stars of American Teen will be registering voters with Rock the Vote later this summer. You can read Jocelyn's full post at http://trailblog.rockthevote.com]

..."American Teen' is more than a documentary about high school; it is the high school experience."- Paste

Being categorized in high school as a "Geek," a "Jock," the "Heartthrob," the "Rebel," or the "Queen Bee," is something we have all seen in our high school experiences, and in most cases these classifications are inevitable. Most of us would want to grow out of these stereotypes and face reality outside of high school. But sometimes you can't escape the wrath of socialization. Thus you are left with what people are trying to escape from- a part of the rest of their life.

But this was not the plan that Hannah Bailey-- American Teen's "Rebel"-- had. She wanted to get out there and make a difference in what she wanted to do; what made her happy. "You really have to do what you love," Bailey states. "You can't always worry about what others have said about you." Her senior year experience was different, along with co-stars Megan, Jake, Mitch, and Colin.

Throughout the film you could see the pressure that not only was put on them in school, but also the pressure formulated at home as well. Colin Clemens, who portrayed the typical "Jock," struggled to please his dad when it came down to preparing for college sports. He was the star of the Warsaw basketball team. With incredible skill, Colin Clemens went through a tough roller-coaster of a senior year of high school. After the experience of being part of "American Teen" he states, "Since the film was filmed in this generation, most of us can relate to it. Who you were in high school or who you still are." He also states that, ''Stereotypes are pretty much branded upon you depending on what you do."

In high school, I was always known as a well-rounded individual because I just never really had a clique. I had a little bit of everything. I was a "Geek" because I was captain of the debate team. I was well-known because I was in student government. I was a "Rebel" because I liked to think outside the box. People at my school had their cliques and I was not exclusively part of any of them because I wanted to live a life filled of decisions that I ultimately made on my own.

Those who attended the screening of "American Teen" at the L.A. Film Festival in Los Angeles, California, left with a reality check. With applause and cheers, I can honestly say that "American Teen" was a success at the L.A. Film Festival.

-- Jocelyn Sida
Rock the Trail

Look How Far We've Come

[Editor's note: This is part of a series from our Rock the Trail Reporters. Each reporter was asked to write about what music has inspired them.]

I am crazy about the new Matchbox 20 song "How Far We've Come." It reflects both the hopelessness and optimism my generation feels regarding their potential to "save the world."

Since I graduated, it's harder to keep the idealism I've always had, because there are so many older folks who think they just can't do enough to save the world. When I hear this song it reminds me to keep up the fight. It reminds me to ask myself every day, "What am I doing to help people and to save the world?" Stopping war, ending genocide in Darfur, combating global warming: What can I do, and how can I empower others?

The lyrics of the song ironically suggest that when things are coming to an end (whether it's my end or at the hands of big mushroom clouds) it makes sense to pretend nothing will happen to us. But the song is fast and empowering and I think they are really asking us how far we can go, how far we're ready to go, and if we're ready to go right now.

-- Sarah Burris
Rock the Trail

One More Reason

One more reason why voting matters, from our newest summer intern:

Hi! I'm Maeve Hallman and I am a rising senior at the Potomac School in McLean, Virginia. The 2008 Election is the first election that I have followed since its start. I realize that its outcome will affect the youth of America in an infinite number of ways. The winner of the 2008 Election will make world-changing decisions and set our country in a new direction. He must take action regarding gas prices, health care, and of course, the War in Iraq. We will face the short and long term consequences of our next President's decisions.

I cannot vote in the upcoming election because my 18th birthday is not until December. I'm envious of everyone who is able to vote for the candidate they believe in. However, I am very excited to be working with Rock the Vote, and look forward to encouraging those who can vote to register!

The Black Keys Rock the Vote

The Black Keys once reminded me of Depression-era blues singers and the psychedelic songs Jimi Hendrix sang close to the end. I always counted on The Black Keys and their 2003 album, Thickfreakness, to deliver on a rainy winter day.

With their new album, spring has come for the Black Keys—or at the very least they’ve got a glimpse of sun. Maybe it’s the more upbeat tempo. Maybe it’s the piano and background vocals in Psychotic Girl. Maybe it's their collaboration with Dangermouse. Their music is still just as beautifully haunting, rhythmic and sincere. Somber or not, the beats will stay with you for days. But it appears as though The Black Keys have taken things up a notch with Attack and Release.

Maybe they’re just as excited about the youth vote and the upcoming elections as we are.
Check out their new music at www.rockthevote.com/music/featured-artist.

College Debt: Less is More

In 2007, I graduated from a 4-year private university. I came from an upper middle class family in California that made enough to afford a house payment, car payments, car insurance, health insurance, life insurance, and other general odds, ends and occasional wants. But we didn't have $45,000 per year for college tuition. With our financial system the way it is, and the way need-based help is calculated, it was decided that my family had an extra $25,000 to spare towards tuition. Now with more loans then I could imagine and interest accumulating, I owe more money then I will make in my first and maybe even second year out of college.

Recently the thought hit me--could my vote make a difference in how much debt I found myself in? The answer is yes.

This Congress, elected during a year of unprecedented high young voter turnout, is working to make life easier on graduates:

In September 2007, the Congress enacted the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (PL 110-84), which makes college more affordable and provides the largest expansion in college aid since the GI Bill in 1944. Specifically, this Act provides more than $20 billion in federal student aid over the next five years and provides that interest rates on need-based (subsidized) federal student loans will drop from 6.8% to 6.0% on July 1st – making these loans more affordable for millions of low- and middle-income students. This is the first step towards halving these interest rates – under the Act, between now and 2011, these rates will continue to decrease until they reach 3.4%.

For the 2008-2009 academic year, in addition to the interest rate being cut to 6.0%, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act will also:

• Increase the Pell Grant scholarship by $490 (raising the maximum award to $4,731).
• Provide up-front tuition assistance of $4,000 each year for students who commit to teaching high-need subjects in high-need public schools upon graduation.

-- Tom Manatos, advisor to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

It's nice to see how my vote in 2006, and the votes of thousands of other young people, have established a congress that is working for our interests. So the question stands, why are you voting?

What Artist Inspires YOU?

Rock the Vote and Wiretap magazine are very excited about our Rock the Trail reporters. We've selected 5 young journalists from Florida to California to capture this elections hottest news. You can read about all five-- Raldon, Rebecca, DeNishia, Sarah and Jocelyn-- at www.rockthevote.com/rockthetrail. Our reporters are currently writing about a song or musical artist (past or present) that inspires or motivates them to take action on a political or social issue. Stay tuned to hear their answers.

But why stop here? We want to hear from you! What song and/or musical artist (past or present) inspires and motivates you to take action on a political or social issue, and why? Think long and hard because this is a pretty big honor to bestow on an artist.

An artist that inspires me would have to be Wyclef Jean-- who happens to be a Rock the Vote artist. Wyclef has never forgotten where he comes from and he works tirelessly to bring attention to his native land of Haiti. His music has a message and always makes me think critically about the world around me. His albums motivate me to help others less fortunate than myself and gives me the desire to vote for public officials who care about those who are often forgotten.

From Madonna to Christina

I'm watching Christina Aguilera and Heather Smith on Larry King Live right now, and both of them are doing a fabulous job talking about the youth vote and Christina Aguilera's new PSA, which will be released in the next few weeks.

Larry King is looking back at Rock the Vote over the last two decades and how the new spot pays tribute Madonna's original PSA which launched the young voter registration campaign back in 1992. It's amazing how far Rock the Vote and the young voter movement has come.

Back in 1992, Madonna wrapped herself in the American flag and filmed a spot to the tune Vogue. Today, Christina Aguilera sings a lullaby to her newborn son, wrapped in the American flag.

Christina is talking now about how she didn't vote until recently, and she regrets not voting as an eighteen year old. But she's signed on to help us register two million young voters this year-- the largest young voter registration campaign in history. We couldn't be happier to have her on board.

Watch Christina Aguilera Tonight

Don't forget to tune into Larry King Live on CNN tonight at 9PM ET to catch Christina Aguilera and our Executive Director Heather Smith, as they talk about the youth vote and Christina's new PSA.

Vote for All American Rejects

Growing up in the central PA punk rock scene, I never knew where I should take my band past the boundary of my hometown. Being that we were equidistant from both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, it was all guess work which city we should try to head towards. We always wished there was a way to figure out where our online fanbase actually lived. If only we had something like Eventful in our lives back then.


Eventful allows fans to request to have their favorite performers play in their town. So Mike from San Jose, CA can let Juan in St. Louis know that he likes him enough to want him to come across the country to play a show. And this is the spirit of the All American Rejects/Eventful/Rock the Vote competition.

The Idea is that the top 5 cities who request AAR to play will get a show. It doesn't matter if you're from Alaska or California, if you get enough people to participate and VOTE for them to play in your town they will. It's a pretty democratic take on touring if you ask me.

And when you click to demand that All American Rejects come to play in your town, you'll have the opportunity to register to vote on the spot. Democracy at its best.

Watch Christina on Wednesday

You don't want to miss Larry King Live this Wednesday.


New Mommy Christina Aguilera will be there along with Rock the Vote's Heather Smith to talk about Rock the Vote's new PSA. It opens with Christina, looking stunning by the way, holding her brand new baby boy as she sings "America the Beautiful." Baby Max is wrapped in the American flag, as his mommy sings him a lullaby. Be sure to tune into CNN Wednesday night at 9pm EST/6pm PST. You won't want to miss it!

All American Rejects

If you want All American Rejects to come play in your town this September, all you have to do is say so:

http://eventful.com/allamericanrejects

Rock the Vote has teamed up with All American Rejects and Eventful.com to let you demand a concert in your hometown. The contest runs until September 15, after which time All American Rejects will play a concert and help Rock the Vote meet its goal of registering two million young voters this year.

Christina Aguilera and Larry King Live!

Christina Aguilera and Rock the Votes Heather Smith will be on CNN's Larry King Live to discuss Rock the Vote's brand spanking new PSA!

Be sure to tune into Larry King Live this Wednesday at 9pm EST and 6pm PST to see Christina, Heather and Larry talk about the importance of the Youth vote!

We've got wallpaper for your cell phone

Yesterday we launched the new Rock the Vote wallpaper for as a part of the Go Mobile site!
http://www.rockthevote.com/act-out/gomobile/

This means that you can have great RTV wallpaper on your phone to show all of your friends and relatives. I just downloaded the American flag wallpaper and everyone loves it!

As always, you can text VOTE to RTVOTE (788683) to sign up for our text list where you receive fun updates and information about the coming election. So that's all the news we have for now, but check back real soon for more updates coming in the near future!

Here's the link:
http://rockthevote.funmo.com/

The Newest Intern!

Hey All!

My name is Carolyn Kenney and I am from Damascus, Maryland. I am a rising junior at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. No, it is not a pharmacy school, it happens to be known for Marine Science. However, I am majoring in International Relations and Global Affairs. I am so excited to be a part of the Rock the Vote team and I cannot wait to tell everyone I know about it!

This is the first election I can vote in and because of that I have officially realized the great importance of voting. We, as the 45 million young people in this great country, have the marvelous opportunity to share with the political community our voices and what is important to us. The only way we can do that is by voting in the elections and let me tell you, it is so easy to get registered and educated about the candidates this year! Everyone has put everything online. I literally mean everyone and everything. Part of my job is to make sure you all know about it, so here I am! I look forward to blogging more in the future to let you all in on our good news!

Peace,
Carolyn

Young Voters: Openminded but Passionate

Want some more insight into the mind of a young voter? Stephanie South offered up her perspective as a young voter in Colorado. Check back for more of her thoughts as a young voter in this election cycle:

When one creates a Facebook profile, we are allowed to tell the world whatever we want them to know about us…as long as the description is one of the options in the dropdown menu. We can update our relationship status and convey which sex we are interested in. We can advertise what we are looking for, whether it be friendship or dating, and we can keep the faith by selecting our religion from a plethora of denominations.

If you are to spend some time profiling my generation on this networking site, you will find we are a diverse group of up-and-coming adults who seem to have one thing in common—we all appear to be a bunch of fence sitters. Instead of choosing a side when it comes to politics, we are labeling ourselves as “Moderate.” To an onlooker, it may seem as though we do not want to be judged by our choice so we refuse to make one. It might also look like we simply do not know or care enough about the subject to make a decision. However, both of these are considerably untrue.

The reason so many of us are staying purple is because it, as opposed to red or blue, most accurately depicts the color we are. Many of us have just spread our wings and are learning how to fly without the help of mom and dad; therefore, our political views are a good mixture of what we were raised on and what we are beginning to figure out for ourselves. The resulting beliefs do not always fall under one or the other. It is not uncommon to find a student well in support of gay marriage but heavily opposed to abortion—two viewpoints from very conflicting sides

We are not fence sitters, but rather we are a generation no longer confined by ideologies. We are refusing to let single terms like “Liberal” and “Conservative” define our political outlook. We are not voting straight ticket. We are demanding more. We want a candidate to look at us for the voters we are and listen to what we have to say, then tell us what they can do about it.

Let us just hope that the next president does not make us promises, then leave us all waiting at the altar.

Vote for the NEW Rock the Vote Spanish Tagline

As a non-bilingual Latina, doing our Latino outreach has been...tough.

Luckily, we've got a great team here, including Jose Antonio Hernandez, who leads our Hispanic marketing and artist outreach efforts.

Our initial attempts at Hispanic outreach taught us that while Rock the Vote is an amazing brand, it doesn't necessarily translate across languages and cultures. (Case in point: before Jose Antonio's recent radio appearance on Amor 93.1FM in NYC one DJ said "Jose Antonio from Rock the Boat..." Then another DJ corrected him. It went back and forth until Jose Antonio came on [P.S. He tore it up...]) So, we're making a few changes.

For one, if you have friends who prefer to get their info in Spanish, be sure to direct them to our Spanish language website, available at www.rockthevote.com/en-espanol/ or the much easier to access and remember mivota.com.

We also realized that we needed a Spanish language tag line. We came up with a few options, but we want your input. Visit here to cast your vote for the NEW Rock the Vote Spanish tagline... it will appear on fliers, ads, merchandise... everything. Tell your friends to do the same!

Thanks in advance/gracias por todo.

Count me as a new fan

Ok, I'll admit it...I don't know a lot about country music. I would say that 'I'm not a fan', but that's not really true--I just didn't grow up with it and don't know enough about it. All that started to change last night when the Rock the Vote crew descended upon Nissan Pavilion in northern Virginia to check out Tim McGraw (www.timmcgraw.com) live and in person.

This guy rocks.

He not only rocks because he puts on one hell of a show, but he rocks because he is making his summer tour a Rock the Vote tour to make sure all of his fans are registered to vote and engaged in the elections. We checked out the various RTV set-ups at the venue, met the staff, got to attend a VIP reception, witnessed a rockin' show that aired our PSA with a call out to join our text list --btw, if you haven't already get going by texting 'VOTE' to 'RTVOTE (788683) -- a great night all around (except for the hour long wait to get out of the parking lot, but that's another story).

I learn something new everyday and today it's that I'm a fan of country music, who knew?

Straight Talk on Reaching the Youth Vote

John McCain hosted a town hall meeting in New York City last week, where he took a question from a young Republican on how he planned to reach out to young voters he was going to compete for the youth vote:

"I think it’s going to be a real competition for young people’s votes. One of the reason why I go on Saturday Night Live, and Jon Stewart, and MTV Town Hall, and all other kinds of venues is so that I will have a better opportunity to communicate with young people.”

Indeed, John McCain has made more guest appearances on the Daily Show—12 in total—than any other guest of the show ever. According to IMDB, McCain has also made 10 appearances on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” and 8 appearances on the “Late Show with David Letterman.” By comparison, he has appeared on the famed Sunday political talk show “Meet the Press” only 6 times.

But while John McCain trumps Barack Obama on late-night television appearances, he’s losing ground fast on the internet. A recent Washington Post article compared the online presence of the two candidates:

“On MySpace, Obama leads McCain more than seven-fold; Obama lists 390,279 friends to McCain's 53,259. The gap is almost similar on Facebook. Obama supporters number at 928,905 while McCain's clock in at 139,749. And on YouTube, it's almost as if Obama and McCain operate in two separate layers of the atmosphere. McCain's channel, which has posted 219 videos, has been viewed a little over 4 million times. Obama's channel, which has posted 1,102 videos, has been viewed 51.1 million times.”

It’ll be interesting to see if McCain can close the cyber-chasm before November. Most experts are predicting that his campaign will have less cash to spend than Obama (due largely to Obama's online donations), in which case the internet could offer a great opportunity for McCain to spread his message to millions of young people without spending millions of dollars.

Another appearance on the Daily Show couldn’t hurt either.

Tricked ya ;)

Rock the Vote sent out our first Text Quiz. We asked:

Who was the youngest person to ever become pres?

A. John F. Kennedy
B. Theodore Roosevelt
C. Chester A Arthur

A resounding 87% of our SMS participants chose John F. Kennedy (JFK), but the correct answer was Theodore Roosevelt (only 8% knew that!).

To be fair it was something of a trick question. At the age of 43 JFK became the youngest person to be ELECTED president. However, Theodore Roosevelt beat Kennedy by one year when he, as Vice President, succeeded the deceased President William McKinley in 1901 and BECAME president at the age of 42.

When he was elected to his first full term as president the 46 year old Theodore Roosevelt would be 3 years older than JFK was at his first election, but it still remains that Teddy Roosevelt was the youngest person to ever become president of the United States of America.

Our third Choice, Chester A Arthur was just 14 days short of 52 when he became our nation's 21st president.

Want to get mobile updates from Rock the Vote this year?

Text VOTE to RTVOTE (788683).

Two Interns Rock the Vote

As we get close to the end of Week 2 of the General Election, I'd like to introduce two fabulous new interns who are going to help us register two million voters between now and November.

My name is Alexis Irvin and I am one of the new communications interns this summer at Rock the Vote. I go to University of Maryland and am a senior journalism major with a minor in government and politics. Talking about the election in journalism classes got a little boring this past semester, I decided I wanted to be a part of it. 2008 will be the first presidential election I get to vote in and I am so so SO excited! We are in the midst of making history with this election, which is why I am at Rock the Vote. This presidential election has the possibility for change- and the youth vote could swing it either way. Rock the Vote wants to register 2 million young voters before the election this November and I think we can do it. I'm super excited to be doing something cool this summer and to make a difference!

And from our field intern, Hannah Fishman:

Two days ago, as I wondered around DC (lost, as usual) I came across a simple ad in a bus stop that made me pause in my frantic attempts to figure out which direction was home. "Vote," it said. Naturally, as an intern at Rock the Vote, voting is something that excites me always, and especially now in such an undeniably important election year. So when I saw the sign that said "Vote," I perked up. What is perhaps most exciting about this story is not the simple existence of the ad in a city ripe with politically active Americans, but instead that the sign was posted by McDonalds instead of a political organization. Even McDonalds wants to promote voter registration!

I graduated from the University of Michigan in the end of April, having dedicated most of my time there to building an organization that would ensure that everyone on that campus would be registered to vote. At the end of my senior year, I knew that I wanted to continue doing that work in the real world. Getting people interested in and excited about politics is absolutely one of my biggest passions. The fact that the rest of the country (including McDonalds) now is apparently just as passionate and willing to dedicate energy to getting out the vote is beyond exciting to me. And so, as we move head on into the general election, I am thrilled to get involved in Rock the Vote's amazing national campaign to increase young voter participation. Voting is awesome, and this year our generation is going to prove that they know it.

Thursday's Campaign Update

The General Election is in full swing and that means so is the scrutiny. Check out this campaign update from our friends at Current TV.


And now that you've seen a whale give birth and both candidates' positions on Iraq, make sure you register to vote.

Thoughts on the Young Voter Platform

Have you added your name to the Young Voter Platform yet? We've been going through all the thousands of messages to Senators McCain and Obama, and we've been getting inspired. Here's a few words from Andrew, our digital intern:

The second I heard about the Young Voter Platform, I have to say I was excited about the prospect of being able to tell the presidential candidates what I thought they should be focusing on during their campaign and their eventual presidency. I was excited to know that my voice would not go unheard. I was even more excited when I saw the volume of responses we got. It was mind-blowing just how many of you-er-us not only signed the letter, but added personal statements to the as well. From reading a few of these letters I have to say that I am proud to be a member of a generation of people who are neither apathetic, nor ignorant about politics...

You know it's got to be powerful, when Rock the Vote interns are getting chills down their spine from looking at thousands of entries on a spreadsheet. We can't wait to take these responses to the candidates themselves. Will your voice be one of the ones that's heard?

Young Voters in Colorado

I heard this great story from Stephanie South in Colorado, and I wanted to pass it on:

Two days ago, I had a conversation with a friend about politics. He sat me down and inquired as to whether I voted Republican or Democrat. Upon receiving my answer, he nodded, took note, and went on to tell me that he was a Democrat. He wants Barack Obama to be our next president and feels as though an African American would be a good change of face for America. I told him I had no qualms about putting an African American in office. I was more concerned whether the man—or woman for that matter—regardless of race or color, could do the job. He agreed with me, judged my answer as acceptable, and went on to inform me on about how Colorado will be a swing state in this election.

My friend is eleven years old and about to enter middle school.

There is no question youth voters are showing up the polls in larger numbers, but I find there are many previous-generation skeptics who doubt the Millennial Generation’s ability to change our nation. My grandparents all maintain today’s America is in the worst state it has ever been. Our money does not have value. We are losing freedoms with every passing minute. The government has too much control. While all of this is up for debate, there is now no question in my mind about the role my generation is to play and the state we will leave America in. If there are eleven year olds not only talking politics but actually educating themselves on the subject, imagine how many eighteen year olds there are who are doing the same and then getting the opportunity to speak up. The question is not if we will make America a better place, but rather when will people begin to recognize what we are capable of.

Digital Internships, the Young Voter Platform and MySpace

Everyone on the Digital Team is psyched about the Young Voter Platform and how many thousands of people have signed on. I just wanted to introduce you to our newest Digital Intern, who's been helping us get the word out on MySpace:

What up blogosphere! My name is Andrew Visnovsky. I came to DC to work with Rock the Vote all the way from the great state of Pennsylvania, Centre County precinct represent! I am pumped to have the opportunity to work with Rock The Vote in what is looking to be one of the most interesting and most important presidential election of my lifetime.

When I came home from school at the end of the spring I was presented with 2 options. Stay at home with, get a dead-end job and watch the world go by, or get out there and actually try to make a difference. I decided to do the latter. In-so-doing I will now be working the 1's and 0's in the digital department.

I'm really excited to be working with Rock the Vote and help with our goal of getting 2,000,000 young voters registered and to the voting booth in '08. I knew that voting and elections were going to be a priority in my life for a long time.

Take a second to check out Andrew's work at www.myspace.com/rockthevote.

The General Election is Here

What a long, strange trip this has been.

Over the weekend, Senator Hillary Clinton endorsed Senator Barack Obama, signalling the end of the Democratic primary.

Today, we want to take a moment to congratulate Senator Clinton and her team on a well-executed run. Whatever path Senator Clinton may travel next, we wish her only the best and hope she will continue to fight for social justice, economic equality and continue her lifelong commitment to equal access to health care.

Our congratulations also go out to Senator Obama and his staff. We applaud the Senator's commitment to progressive causes, and his campaign's efforts to energize and mobilize young Americans.

If the Democratic primary contests taught us anything, it is the importance of young voters. Our turnout increased by more than 100% in many states. That's unprecedented. And believe us, it's only the beginning.

Youth across America have sent a clear message: if you want us to stand with you and your party in November, then you will need to stand with us now.

We here at Rock the Vote are ready for the next phase of this historic adventure.

We could not be more excited with the current field of candidates, and look forward to engaging Senator Obama and Senator McCain on the issues that young people care about most: the economy, the war, and health care.

Our polling has shown that most young Americans (you!) have favorable impressions of both candidates, and we look forward to helping you learn more about each candidate, each major party's platform, and your rights as a young voter.

We will never tell you who to vote for - we only ask that you vote.

Now more than ever we want you to stay tuned and spread the word.

It's a long road to November, but we're just warming up.

We're ready to Rock the Vote. Are you?

Taking Issue During This Election

A gorgeous scene I captured of the Red Sea in Eilat, Israel

Having returned from a sojourn to the Middle East a few days ago, one issue has been on my mind and conveniently this week has become an issue at the forefront of the race: the Israeli peace process. Every day while divided by ideologies and politics, both Israelis and Palestinians wait for peace. Both candidates Barack Obama and John McCain are making great efforts to present themselves as hard on terrorism and allies of Israel. Even President Bush made his first trip to Israel just before I arrived last month.

It is an issue that I will be paying very close attention to as this race continues, along with the environment, the economy, the job market, and college tuition. Our next leader will be deciding how to handle (or ignore) these issues that I have personal investments in, and so while I may not be able to decide or have a huge say in how these situations will be addressed, my vote will definitely count this year in appointing who will be the best leader to address the issues that are important to me, such as the Israeli peace process.

How do Israelis feel about this year's American election? While most of their daily news consists of the violence and loss of life they encounter on a day to day basis, they pay close attention to which political leader will be the President of their most prominent foreign ally. They hope for continued aid and support from our next president.

And so do I.

The ideologies of each candidate on these issues will decide my vote. What issues this election are important to you?

A Quick Campaign Update

As the general election gets kicked off, it's more important than ever to be an informed voter. Check out this Campaign Update from Brett Erlich at Current TV to get a recap of the week in politics.

Stand Up for Voting Rights

Our friends at the League of Young Voters Education Fund are taking a stand for voting rights. Here's an excerpt of an email I just got from them - take a look and take action to protect our right to vote:

"We need to take a stand and demand that our representatives -- all across the country -- respect everyone's fundamental right to vote!

"...We just narrowly averted two of these disastrous laws in Missouri and Kansas, but they've been proposed in Pennsylvania and other places. Some bills require an original copy of a birth certificate for first-time voters. Others require a driver's license with a current address. And the list goes on like that. Think about how many people -- people who have every right to vote -- don't have those documents sitting around!

"It's this simple: every step that makes voting harder means that more people won't get to vote...We need to show them that we're watching, we're angry, and it's not going down like that. As a first step, sign onto to our open letter to legislators around the country, opposing voter suppression and misleading voter ID legislation.

"Stand up against voter suppression now: http://youngvoter.org/leteveryonevote

"Get your friends too. The other side has money, but we've got people. And together we need to defend everyone's right to vote."

You can check out more about Missouri, Kansas, and other voting rights action here on our blog, and check back for regular updates.

Speaking out for Young Voters

Yesterday we announced our Young Voter Platform and asked you all to tell Senators McCain and Obama to support our values. Thousands of you have already taken action.

But if you haven't signed yet, listen to our new political intern, Zach Pilchen, as he talks about the importance of equal representation:

I got interested in youth voter registration during my freshman year at William & Mary when I attempted to register to vote in Williamsburg for the local elections but was rejected by the voter registrar because I was a student. Even though students pay taxes in Williamsburg, have jobs in Williamsburg, play in Williamsburg and live in Williamsburg nine months out of the year, this anti-student voter registrar told my fellow students and I that we would not be allowed to have a voice in how our local democracy operated.

Interestingly, this registrar had a long history of allowing students to vote in Williamsburg (like in nearly every Virginia college town). But in 2004, after a group of students announced their intentions to register 2,000 college students to vote locally and overturn several anti-student ordinances, the registrar reacted by changing his policies to prohibit all students from registering to vote.

In 2007, the registrar was fired by the local electoral board after it came to light that he had mishandled student registration forms (i.e. destroying them) and embezzled money from the state. Police officers escorted him from his office, "to ensure the integrity of election records," and a new student-friendly registrar took his place. A group of students and I organized large-scale voter registration drive at school that year, registering nearly 30% of the undergraduate student body to vote in Williamsburg…a sweet success indeed.

Having been personally disenfranchised, it's an especially sweet experience for me to join Rock the Vote's effort this year to register 2 million young voters. Disenfranchise this!

Want our presidential candidates to protect our right to vote? Join Zach, me, and the thousands of other young voters who are rocking the vote. Sign on today.

A Million Words

A picture says a million words:

In 2005 Rock the Vote recognized two Senators with our Millennial Award at our annual awards gala for their for their work at that time on issues that young voters care about: John McCain and Barack Obama.

Last night, Senator Barack Obama clinched enough delegates to become the nominee for the Democratic party and joins Senator John McCain in the general contest for the President of our country.

Young people began voting in record numbers in 2004 and again in 2006 and continued that trend--doubling, tripling and quadrupling their turnout in this primary season. Young Americans have propelled both candidates to major victories this election cycle and are poised to play a major role in picking our next president.

As a generation, we recognize the power we have to create real change, and we are prepared to use it. We are fighting for our country, involved in our communities, and voting. And this is just the beginning. We are committed to electing a new president in November who represents us – and who fights for us – and to ensuring he makes good on his promises after elected. Rock the Vote congratulates the nominees and calls on them to address our needs and our hopes for our country by living up to the values at the core of our democracy and addressing the issues that young people care about most.

McCain v. Obama

The General Election is here. We've got presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees -- Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama.

It's time for us make sure that the candidates address the issues most critical to young voters, and we need to act quickly. I'm sending a letter to McCain and Obama with Rock the Vote's 2008 Young Voter Platform. Can you join me in speaking out for the 44 million young voters of America and co-sign the letter?

http://rockthevote.com/act-out/letter2008/

Thanks,
Heather

P.S. Be sure to send this to your friends as well. We want as many names as possible when we present this to the candidates.

Millions of People to Empower

Here's a hello from our newest Marketing Intern, Madeline Peters:

This week begins what is anticipated to be the best summer of my life while I live in the nation's capital and intern with Rock the Vote! I am so excited about the opportunity to help the efforts of an organization that I think rocks (had to use the pun). I wanted to work with RTV because I have always admired the work they have done and only dreamed that I could be a force to help them accomplish the goal of registering over 2,000,000 voters. Now my dreams are coming true and I am excited to be around people that share an interest and passion to ignite youth to be the impact that we will be.

I come to D.C. from Baton Rouge, La. where I go to Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers!). In the fall I will enter my junior year to continue working toward a degree in political communications from the incredible Manship School of Mass Communications and a business minor. However, I call the beautiful beaches and hospitable people of Pensacola, Fla. home.

I am pumped about the privilege I have to vote in my first presidential election in November. I think our generation continues to learn the honor and impact of voting. I think it is so cool that voting only takes a short amount of time to shape and can empower millions. There are millions of people to empower and I am excited to be here and help make it happen.

She's got some big dreams for the summer. We're excited to have Madeline on our team.

New Interns at Rock the Vote

You know it's finally summer time when the interns arrive. Our office is now full of college students from around the country. Take a second to wish them hello!

Hey there everyone, my name is Rebekah Ontiveros. Rather than adopting the couch potato lifestyle this summer I wanted to get on board the surge of excitement that surrounds the 2008 Presidential Election. Equally motivating for me to become involved this summer is that this is the first Presidential Election that I am old enough to vote in!

This summer I will be spending my time in the communications department here at Rock The Vote. I am so excited to be an intern at an organization as fabulous as this one. I have always had a passion for politics and social awareness so it only seemed natural that I would find myself at a place as cool as RTV. I love talking about anything political in nature and therefore I can have a conversation on anything and everything. I am an online networking junkie and so you can pretty much catch me on either my Myspace or Facebook. I claim the western part of the country as "home" and have lived in Alaska, Nevada, and Oklahoma. I now live in Virginia and I proudly attend the University of Maryland (Fear The Turtle). I can't wait to get into all the exciting projects they have in store for me and I look forward to meeting tons of new people that I will be working with. I am so very proud to be a contributing member of the team here and to help further the ongoing effort to ROCK THE VOTE!

Stay tuned for more posts from our fabulous interns!

Latinos, Immigration and Noviembre

When Clinton won Puerto Rico this weekend, arguably the biggest winner was the Latino community - showing up in big numbers once again. Latino turnout in the 2008 primaries is, like most other groups' turnout, unprecedented. New Democratic Network (NDN) has a major report out about the Hispanic electorate and the 2008 Elections. The report is clearly partisan, but if you can look past that, the facts are pretty interesting, particularly as it relates to the issue of immigration. Be sure to check it out, and consider how immigration, and immigration reform will factor into your vote.