Youth Vote Rivals Largest in American History

11/8/08 Update: The latest tallies show that approximately 23 million 18-29 year olds voted on Election Day 2008, the most young voters ever to cast a ballot in a presidential election and an increase of 3 million compared with 2004, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).

Turnout among young voters was up from 2004 to 52-53%, the highest level since 1972, making 2008 the third major election in a row where young people have increased their turnout!

******

The tallies are in and young voters have proven their power at the polls.

On November 4th, approximately 24 million 18-29 year olds cast ballots in this historic election, a turnout rate of 54.5%, up nearly 6 percentage points from 2004. This youth turnout figure is based on a turnout estimate from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), and overall turnout calculations from Professor Michael McDonald of George Mason University and results from the National Election Pool exit poll.

Across the country, young voters’ turnout made a significant impact on close races in battleground states. In Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, and other states, young people propelled Barack Obama to victory. Nationwide, 66% of 18-29 year olds voted for the President-Elect; state-by-state, this strong support made the difference in a number of contests.

Yesterday’s record turnout marks the third major election in a row with increased young voter turnout. In 2004, the youth turnout rate was 49%, an increase of 9% points over the 2000 election; in 2006, young voters turnout went up by 3% points over 2002. On November 4th, 18-29 year olds’ turnout rate increased by nearly 6% points over 2004 levels, resulting in 4 million more young voters than in 2004.

“Yesterday more young people voted than in any election since 18 year olds won the right to vote in 1972. This is truly a remarkable moment; young people have spoken and elected the next president,” said Heather Smith, executive director, Rock the Vote. “No longer can pundits and politicians say we don’t vote. The face of our democracy is forever changed and young people have shown the world we are taking our country into our own hands.”

This year Rock the Vote ran the largest voter registration drive in history, using a combination of online, mobile and grassroots outreach resulting in more than 2.5 million individuals downloading a registration form.

After registering a record number of voters, Rock the Vote ran an extensive get-out-the-vote effort, using popular culture and new technology to reach young people nationwide and mobilizing volunteers in key states. Our efforts on Election Day included:

• Sending more than 100,000 mobile subscribers an Election Day text message reminder;
• Phone-banking 13,300 young voters to remind them to get to the polls;
• Accompanying Ohio State University students to the polls;
• Providing shuttles to the polls in Blacksburg, Virginia and several other schools;
• Helping protect young people’s votes at Drexel University; and
• Dispelling inaccurate attempts to disenfranchise young voters through online and mobile messaging.
  

On college campuses and in cities and communities across the country, Rock the Vote was on the ground yesterday supporting the 24 million young voters who cast a ballot yesterday. Visit www.rockthevote.com or more stories, videos and pictures from the field.

“We’ll now take this incredible energy and momentum and demand action on the issues young people care about such as the economy, the war in Iraq, heath care, voting rights, and the environment,” Smith commented. “This is only the beginning.”

A Scene from DC

After President-elect Obama’s speech last night, the RTV office wasn’t quite ready to call it a night. Hyped up on coffee and the amazing youth turnout stories pouring in from across the country, a few of us decided to walk over to the White House and soak up the atmosphere. We quickly discovered that we weren’t the only ones with that idea.

As we neared 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the scene became clear. The whole of D.C. was out on the streets. Car horns tapped out the beat to “Yes we can,” strangers high-fived as they passed each other on the sidewalks, and crowds gathered to sing, hug, and generally whoop it up. Even though it was past 1:00AM, the street in front of the White House was teeming with people – young people.

As I stood in the crowd, amazed at the sheer outpouring of energy and positivity, I understood what these last two years have been about. This is what we’ve been working for. This is what you have been a part of. While the people last night were undoubtedly excited about the new president, it was symbolic of so much more. It was about an entire generation buying into the system and believing in the power of democracy. It was about young people finding their voices and finally being heard. It was about strangers coming together and sharing in an experience that could only be brought about through collective action, each person owning a piece of the process.

We did it, people. Enjoy the moment.

Young Voters Make History

You did it.

Tonight Rock the Vote is celebrating alongside young Americans nationwide as reports indicate record turnout in the 2008 election. From coast to coast we have witnessed young voters flooding the polls excited and enthusiastic to cast their ballots.

For 18 years Rock the Vote has promised that young people would reward elected officials and candidates for public office with their support on Election Day if they were reached out to in a sustained, substantive and authentic way.

President-elect Obama did precisely that and more. He responded to the concerns and questions that they have. He found them on the Internet, engaged them through text messaging and technology and devoted resources and time to earn their trust.

This is a transformative moment. Research shows that once people register and vote for the first time, they become active members of the electorate for the rest of their lives. The same people who elected President-elect Obama will now ensure that he has the support to make the real changes so many of us have been calling for. And in the future public officials who overlook them as a bloc will do so at their own peril.

“Young voters have dispelled the notion of an apathetic generation and proved the pundits, reporters and political parties wrong by voting in record numbers today,” said Heather Smith, the Executive Director of Rock the Vote. “The Millennial generation is making their mark on politics and shaping our future.”

Rock the Vote has worked tirelessly to respond to those people who were skeptical about whether and to what extent young people care to get involved in politics. After tonight, there is no question: young people care deeply about and are very motivated to serve the vision they have for their futures.

Tonight, Rock the Vote celebrates the historic levels of turnout we witnessed in this election with the more than 2.5 million young people who downloaded registration forms from our website, attended our rallies, responded to our text messages, wore our t-shirts, visited our bus. They changed our country and politics forever. It will never be the same.

Denver

DSC_0109, originally uploaded by Rock the Vote 2008.

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008, Election day

5:40 p.m. MST – Obscene amounts of time, stunning amounts of hard work, enough money to build a skyscraper, and tonight’s finally here. I spent the day meandering around the mountain town of Boulder encouraging the students there to get to the polls. The mountains here are lovely beyond description, the students are unfairly healthy, and almost every restaurant in town is giving away free food for students who voted.

The Rock the Vote bus crew was here with a DJ, a tent, lots of free stuff, and a bullhorn.

“Hey you! Did you vote yet?” Willa, a member of the tour and my little sister, hollers at a passing student through said bullhorn. He tries to ignore her.

“The one with the yellow T-shirt. You,” she continues.

He looks up. “Yes?” he says, tentatively.

“Come here! Take a sticker,” Willa says.

He does, then she turns to another student: “Hey you! Did you vote yet?”

The students are a little shell shocked. You can see why. The campus looks like an art festival. There is the little old woman walking around with a ‘Vote’ sandwich board; the group of fifteen students walking across campus as slowly as possible – maybe a foot every thirty seconds – in a piece of performance art they claim has something to do with voting; there is an Obama campaign bus driving idly around town; at least five groups trying to get students here to the polls; free giveaways from Ben and Jerry’s and Jimmy John’s; and there are chalk drawings and slogans on every inch of available sidewalk.

So far, there are almost no problems at the polls. Some students this morning had a bit of difficulty voting when they brought an out of state ID with them, but the confusion passed pretty quickly and the lines are not long. Colorado has had an absurdly successful early voting program and something in the realm of 70% of the students voted before election day. So the overwhelming response to our door knocking, our phone calls, and our bullhorn interactions is ‘I already voted.’

If it’s true – and it looks like it may be – then the young voters may have this particular vote very thoroughly rocked.

--Nick Brown

Open Thread-- Evening Results

Young voter turnout nationwide is showing significant increases compared to 2004 vote totals. Across the country, young people are voting at historic levels. In Virginia and Pennsylvania, where polls have already closed, we are seeing how their turnout is making the difference in close races.

For example in Virginia:

Early reports indicate young people will help make or break the state for the presidential candidates. According to just-released CNN exit polls, young people made up 21% of all voters in Virginia – one in every five voters – up from 17% in 2004.

What's your voting story? Where did you vote? Were there long lines? Help tell the young voter story.

Students Turn Out Big at the University of Michigan

U Michigan – Across this college campus in Ann Arbor, students have turned out in big numbers to make their voices heard this election. Volunteers on the ground have said that most students who came out to vote today waited a minimum of one and a half hours on line, and that most have waited around three hours before they got to cast their vote.

A few minutes ago, I spoke with two University of Michigan students who are helping their classmates weather the long lines. Christine Firlik and Josh Strazanac are volunteers with Voice Your Vote, a voting advocacy organization at this school that helps students register to vote, gives students a bipartisan view of the candidates' positions, and encourages students to get out and vote.

All day today, they've gone out of their way to help students turn the long waits into parties. Strazanac, Firlik, and other Voice Your Voter volunteers have purchased food, hula hoops, newspapers, and magazines, to encourage people to wait out the long lines.

U Michigan has five polling places on its campus, many located within residence halls, where students who live on campus can vote. Firlik and Strazanac have spent a large portion of their day helping students out at Mary Markley Residence Hall.

Strazanac says that there are more than 400 students are waiting to vote right now on a single line that stretches outside the building. He's been doing his part to stir up excitement.

"We've been handing out water, we've got crossword puzzles, Sudoku puzzles, we're doing everything we can to keep the students in the line so that they don't give up on making sure that they vote this election," Strazanac says. "I don't think any of these students particularly anticipated that they would wait in line for three hours, and when you ask somebody to stand in line for that long, it's important to help them pass the time."

Strazanac says that Markley Hall is mostly home to freshmen, and that they face a big obstacle the first time they vote.

"With the excitement this election has generated, it's unfortunate that these students will have to wait three hours in line, and I think this will deter some students from voting tonight," he says.

Many students have had to take midterm exams and go back to class today after waiting on line for a long time, although many have returned to have their chance to vote.

Markley Hall currently has eight voting machines students can use once they reach the end of the line, although Voice Your Vote had to call the city clerk to procure four of these machines earlier in the day.

Firlik says U Michigan's students have defied the expectations of some who did not believe young Americans would turn out in the big numbers that have been hyped.

"It's pretty incredible. The lines are crazy, but it's so exciting because it means students are actually voting," Firlik says. "I think that they really knocked the socks off the people who planned for these voting places because, especially at Markley, it's really overwhelming."

Polls in Michigan close at 9:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.

-- Written by Howie Perlman

Field Update: Precincts Surpassing 2004 Levels Already

More good news! We're hearing that several youth-dense precincts in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, and Nevada indicate that voter turnout among 18-29 year-olds has already surpassed 2004 levels, or nearly has.

Here are the numbers:

Drexel University (Philadelphia)
2008(as of 1pm): 500 votes cast
2004 total: 425 votes cast

Virginia Tech (Blacksburg)
2008 (as of 3pm): 2,465 votes cast
2004 total: 2,069 votes cast

Florida State University (Tallahassee)
2008 (as of 3pm): 721 votes cast
2004 total: 625 votes cast

University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2008 (as of 4pm): 811
2004: 860

At Virginia Tech University and Drexel University lines are now hours long. Download video footage of the situation on the ground at Drexel here: http://qs1195.pair.com/rockvote/110408/

We also continue to see young voters experiencing attempts to keep them from the polls. Voters in Florida, Texas and Arizona have reported receiving the following text message: "Due to long lines today, all Obama voters are asked to vote on Wednesday. Thank you for your cooperation." View screenshots here: http://www.rockthevote.com/electionday/?name=precincts/pennsylvania.html

In addition, we have also been notified that students attempting to vote at Florida State who are showing student IDs are being turned away. By law, students may use student IDs to vote in Florida, as long as the ID is signed. We are urging individuals to call 1-866-OUR-VOTE if they encounter any problems.

"Across the country we are seeing surges of young people hitting the polls," said Heather Smith, executive director of Rock the Vote. "However; there are still significant obstacles, including three to four hour lines, logistical challenges and attempts to make voting less accessible to students. Election protection advocates are working hard to make sure every person who registered to vote is allowed to vote."

Stay tuned: Rock the Vote will have more up to date information as polls begin to close across the country.

Visit www.rockthevote.com for more stories from the polls.

Field Update: Youth Turnout Strong, Problems at VA Tech

We're hearing from Rock the Vote organizers and volunteers in the field that early turnout at youth-dense precincts across the country is strong!

We have people on the ground in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and elsewhere - early numbers, photos, and video from polling places in these states show long lines and big numbers of young voters. For example:

• At Drexel University in Philadelphia, 395 people had already voted by 11:45 am, with another 179 in line. Compare this to 2004, when 425 people total voted in that same precinct all day!

• At Penn State, 1,000 students were in line this morning, and turnout is exceeding what it was this early in the day in 2004. Check out photos of voters in line here.

“Early tallies in youth dense precincts indicate that young people are taking their enthusiasm to the ballot box,” said Heather Smith, Executive Director of Rock the Vote. “Get Out the Vote efforts across the country, on the ground, and through mobile and online technology are bolstering the turnout we are seeing in Virginia and Pennsylvania this morning.”

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, young adults are also facing obstacles in trying to vote today.

More than 5,600 people, mainly Virginia Tech students - who faced voting rights violations already this year - are registered to vote at precinct E1 in Blacksburg in Montgomery County in Virginia. That number is nearly double what the state law allows for polling stations - to make matters worse, the poll place is 6.5 miles from campus and has almost no parking.

Despite this, young adults are organizing their peers to get to the polls and arriving today to the polling place in large numbers, according to those on the ground.

“The long lines in Blacksburg are filled with excited new and young voters, many Virginia Tech students,” said Rock the Vote’s Amanda Eckerson, on site in Virginia today. “Today we are seeing young people in Virginia and across the country casting ballots despite poor logistical planning, long lines and bad weather.”

More updates to come! Visit www.rockthevote.com for voter stories from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and elsewhere.

Election Day Open Thread

Polls have opened in 26 states and the District of Columbia. Where are you today? Volunteering? Voting? Share your stories, photos and videos here by posting a comment to this thread.

Remember if you have any problems on Election Day, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE. They can help you with everything from ID requirements to what to do if you are turned away from your polling place.

Check back soon for more Election Day stories including updates from Rock the Vote volunteers who should be visible in The Early Show crowd in just a few minutes.

One more day

DSC_0093, originally uploaded by Rock the Vote 2008.

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

9:44 a.m. CST – Somewhere over Colorado

The fields below me look like Tetris gone strange. Or maybe a series of art deco boxes stacked on top of each other. I am flying over the high plains of Colorado and the weird patterns of agriculture that exist there. I have two more days with the Rock the Vote road trip crew, both of them in Denver. The bus drove from Minneapolis and will meet us when we land. The Beastie Boys will perform at the Filmore tonight and then election day is tomorrow.

Newspapers are all writing their ‘this election is terribly significant’ article and even the long-procrastinating papers have issued their endorsements. The candidates are pushing themselves to exhaustion and their young staffers are pushing themselves towards total nervous breakdown. It’s the fourth quarter, the ninth inning, the tenth frame, or the shot on the eight ball. You can basically choose your favorite sports-related cliche.

The crew just told us that electronics need to be extinguished in preparation for landing.

4:38 p.m. MST – Denver

After 52 days on the road, the final bus tour concert is tonight and the vote is tomorrow. This afternoon the gang on the bus passed out voting information fliers on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder. The atmosphere was explosively political. In one section of sidewalk, I saw a preacher waving a bible and preaching the evils of abortion, two neo-hippies arguing with a kid claiming Obama is a communist, a group of Obama supporters doing their best to ignore the argument, and several passersby who were trying a little too hard to pretend they weren’t listening to the various political advocates around them.

Personally, I like a good political fight. I am that one of your friends who will really not shut up if you are out for a drink and someone brings up US government policy. I have been told that I am a little difficult to deal with at such times. Sometimes, I have - not altogether unfairly - been called a name rhyming with gas bowl.

This trip requires me to be devoutly non-partisan, so I have avoided such arguments. But I got to argue vicariously this afternoon. It was lovely. Even if you don’t enjoy the barbs and strained-civility of a political argument, it’s a sure sign of social health to see a full campus of young people fighting about the right direction for the country. And you’d think it’s a sign that these young people will put their vote where their mouth is. No one is sure what will happen tomorrow, but I’m predicting extraordinary young voter turnout and the bus tour crew is doing it’s best to make sure that prediction comes true.

One more day.

--Nick Brown

Young Voters at the NASDAQ!

Today a group of young voters joined Rock the Vote to ring the NASDAQ bell in NYC! After, the group hung out by the AT&T mobile bus and had their picture taken with the AT&T Samsung BlackJack II phone!


Remember, tomorrow November 4th is Election Day! Make sure you VOTE! If you have any questions or encounter problems at the polls, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE! Rock the Vote will also be at The Early Show TOMORROW for Election Day! Come to 59th and 5th at 7:45am to cheer us on! Let's make sure the youth vote is represented! Help us ROCK THE VOTE TOMORROW!

Open Thread

Election Day is tomorrow and young voters are poised to make history. We've been sharing stories from the Rock the Vote Road Trip; we've seen crowds of voters marching to the polls in Cleveland and the Beastie Boys lead get out the vote rallies in Richmond.

Now it's your turn. We want to hear from you.

Have you voted early? Are you voting tomorrow? What issue do you care about most? What kind of conversation will you strike up with other voters in line?

Share your stories (and photos and YouTube clips) by posting a comment here.

And remember, go out and vote tomorrow!

Three days until election night

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

4:54 p.m. CDT – "It's the most beautiful time in Minnesota... Right after that first frost we get a few weeks of just golden weather here," Garrison Keillor says on the radio and I know he's right because I am driving outside the theater where he is broadcasting.

I'm in St. Paul, Minnesota following the Rock the Vote bus... or in this case the absence of the bus because it's in the shop today. The weather here is golden. Sixty degrees outside and as pretty as you have any right to expect a place to be. At the University of Minnesota, where we were earlier today, the students were out in T-shirts and jeans and one poor refugee from last night's halloween celebrations was still wandering down Hennepin Avenue in a foam Tea Cup clutching a beer and bracing herself for the raging hangover headed her way.

I spent the afternoon calling young people along with a dozen other volunteers for Rock the Vote and the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) in a process known as phone banking. Phone banking can be a nightmare. Four years ago, I worked for a candidate in the Iowa caucuses and spent twelve hours a day on the phone. I got ear bruises. My throat was always dry and I started to get sick. I learned to smile when you call a voter because they hear it in your voice, that affecting a southern accent makes people more friendly, and to make my pitch personal. It can be awful work. Sometimes you will hear a football game in the background when a voter picks up the phone and you know that he is going to tear you apart for interrupting. Sometimes you will hear someone yelling or a shower running or a car honking and you will know it's a bad time. Once I thought I heard a gunshot.

Right now each of the presidential campaigns have hundreds, maybe thousands, of callers phone banking swing voters. There are probably hundreds or maybe thousands more people calling from each of the tight congressional races. The closer we get to the election, the more people there are who are cursing the invention of the phone and signing up for the national do not call registry. At the end of the day, the only calls a person wants from a stranger are the ones telling him he has won a sweepstakes.

But people do respond to these calls and most of the people I called tolerated me for the thirty seconds I took to remind them to get out on election day. A few even had questions about what to bring to the polls (ID and utility bill is a good idea in most states) or where they could find their polling place (the election center on rockthevote.com has them if you enter your address). I made 150 phone calls before taking off to talk to the kids coming to tonight's concert.

5:50 p.m. CDT – "Free T-shirts," Aaron James, the bus tour DJ is yelling at strangers. It's like throwing a zebra to lions. Frenzy ensues. They have just opened the door at the Roy Wilkins center – where the Beastie Boys, Tenacious D, and Ben Harper will be playing tonight – and the line charges our table for two minutes before the traffic abruptly stops. The early crowd, the fans who want to be right up next to the stage are through and now we will hover here for a few more hours and wait for the people who are alright with standing in the second row.

6:30 p.m. CDT – A vendor has started yelling "Peanuts, pop, beer. Get them here." It rhymes. Free T-shirts is still a pretty powerful draw, but it's tough to compete with peanuts and beer, so a few of the new arrivals are drifting towards the other guy.

7:13 p.m. CDT – Sound check has begun, so I am off for the night.