2008 Turnout Highest Since 1968

With final figures in from almost every state, George Mason University professor and election turnout expert Michael McDonald says that 131 million people voted in the 2008 election - the highest turnout in 40 years. By comparison, 122 million people voted in 2004. And get this - young people made up one-third of that 9 million vote increase from 2004 to 2008!

Dawn of the Season: Early Voting Begins

You might be one of the lucky people who gets to legally vote before Election Day on November 4.

Early voting began last week in Louisville, Kentucky, and around one-third of all American voters are expected by some experts to vote early.

Americans will be able to vote before Election Day in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

Georgia, Kentucky, and Virginia on Monday, September 22 kicked off the process of statewide early voting, and residents statewide can either walk to the polls or mail in ballots to rock the vote.

Many states, including Georgia, are operating their early voting procedures under new statutes that have increased the timeframe in which voters can cast their ballots before Election Day and have decreased the need for many voters to cast absentee ballots.

The Rocky Mountain region is home to two battleground states, Colorado and New Mexico, in which around half the electorate might vote before Election Day, says Paul Gronke, director of the Early Voting Information Center.

Florida, another critical battleground state, may see up to 40 percent of residents vote early, Gronke says.

It’s never too early to do a good thing.

Virginians are Rockin’ the Voter Registration

Virginia’s Board of Elections ordered a whopping 200,000 additional voter registration forms after citizens throughout the state spoke out and rocked their right to vote .

The Board ordered the voter registration forms after a big increase in the number of registrants exceeded the Board’s expectations. This is what we like to call a “good problem,” because the problem – the shortage of ballots – came as the result of more people wanting to participate in the electoral process.

Virginia has recently seen a dramatic increase in voter registration among the 18-35 years of age group. In mid-August, 64 percent of the 200,000 voters who had registered since January were in this age cohort. After you whip out calculator and do some math, that’s about 128,000 new youth voters in Virginia alone. And that was back in August.

Some Virginians who have asked for registration forms want to fill out those forms to make sure they’re registered, to guarantee their ability to vote even if they registered before. Their proactive stance regarding November 4, their desire to make sure they’ll have the ability to help affect the future of America through the power of the ballot, is exemplary of true American patriotism.

Virginia’s voter registration deadline is October 6, and a complete list of voter registration deadlines for the 50 states and the District of Columbia can be found here.

Rock the Vote was in Blacksburg, VA today, causing part of the voter registration "problem." Check out photos here.

Xbox Enters Politics

Avid gamers across the country now have an easier way of registering to vote and getting involved in the biggest game this year: the 2008 presidential election.

Rock the Vote recently partnered with Microsoft to make the Xbox 360 into a political gaming machine.

You can now use Xbox Live, the Xbox 360’s online digital exchange system, to register to vote, chat about politics, and make your opinions known in polls.

Together, we’re taking gaming to a whole new level. You can be a part of the most important game yet.

Log on to Xbox Live today and make your voice heard. Some Xbox Live election poll results are already in.

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.

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.

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.

Why Voting Matters

It's easy to forget how far we've come. 6.4 million young voters have already voted this year, and I was sure voter apathy had gone the way of the dinosaur. But then I thought back to the 2000 elections. Which really weren't so long ago.

HBO's new movie Recount, takes us back to the time when election day came and went and there wasn't a clear winner. Remember hanging and pregnant chads? Underneath all the jokes was a rather chilling reality. Recount is the story of the scheming that started before the polls had even closed, and how the voice of the people got lost in the politics.

Watching Kevin Spacey as a lawyer who champions voter rights in Florida (and watching Laura Dern-- as Katherine Harris-- trample all over them) made me remember my sense of outrage in 2000. I couldn't even vote then, and I was furious. We all learned the hard way-- when we don't exercise our right to vote, bureaucracy ends up picking our president.

Now I'm all about positive thinking-- talking about what we can do as a young voter movement is so much more powerful than talking about what threatens us. But I do think we should remember the seventh of November, 2000, as we gear up for 11/04/2008. It's important to remember what happened in Florida, and make sure it doesn't happen again.

So rather than talking about voter fraud, or voter disenfranchisement, let's talk about voter protection. What can you do to make sure your vote counts?

VOTE.

We can protect our votes by turning out en masse on Election Day. With voter turnout reaching record high levels, we are going to be a voice that can't be ignored. We're getting 2 million young voters registered to vote this year. You can join us.

Recount airs on HBO this Sunday. If you have any friends that aren't excited about this year's elections, ask them to check it out. Then make sure they go vote!

Up By 12% and It's Only May

An article by the Center for American Progress came out yesterday with some new polling on the Millennial Generation.

You can't ignore us any longer; the numbers are out. We're the only age group this election to have a 12% increase in voter turnout. And the general election is still six months away!

And Millennials are voting at increasingly high rates. Though young people are less likely to vote than older people, Millennials are starting to close the gap. “In the primary elections held thus far in 2008,” noted a Pew Research Center paper, “voter turnout has been up sharply, especially among young people.” And the increases in voting for Millennials this year come on top of other recent increases. In 2004, “turnout among young voters increased 12 percent compared to 2000, the biggest increase in any single age group.” As the director of Rock the Vote argues: “2008 is set to become the third major election in a row with an increase in turnout among young voters.”

If we're making a splash this early in the election cycle, there's no way that the candidates won't be able to pay attention to our issues. Change is a comin'.

Entries Are Rolling In

Already, reports are rolling in from people who have entered to win the Rock the Trail contest. We're looking for fresh perspectives on this year's election, on the issues that matter, and what's inspiring young voters to go to the polls.

Already, we're seeing frank images from journalists like Brittny Nielsen:


We're reading inspiring words from reporters like Archana Prasanna:

“My vision for the United States in 2015 is an optimistic one. Firstly, I envision a world it will be far more environmentally friendly... My hope is that universal health care will be implemented in the near future... The United States has gained a bad reputation among various countries around the world. We are misunderstood since our actions don't always correlate with our principles. I anticipate that in 2015, America will be looked at differently."

And in true Rock the Vote form, we're listening to the songs that are inspiring voter action, like this recommendation from Saum Eskanadi:

You could call political action the ultimate act of self-confidence. Whether that be a group or an individual, there is a moment, where we are so sure that we have no choice but to make ourselves heard. The trick is knowing that you CAN. You can do anything.

I owe my renewed faith in my ability to express my ideas to Kate Nash's song "Merry Happy." Leave it to the sassy British girl to teach the gay American boy how to speak out.

Do you have something to say this year? Apply now to be a Rock the Trail Reporter at www.rockthevote.com/rockthetrail. We'll continue to post the best of our early submissions, so don't wait. Deadline is May 7 at 11:59 PM.

Early Voting in IN and NC

If you're a North Carolina or Indiana voter, you don't need to wait until the May 6 Primary-- you can vote today!

Early voting sites are open all around NC until May 3. If you forgot to register to vote in North Carolina, no worries. If you vote early, you can register on site. Just remember to bring an ID, and proof of residency if you have it.

In Indiana, you can vote absentee-in-person from now until the elections

College students: you probably don't need a reminder, but May 6 is an exam day for UNC system schools, and school's out for most of you in Indiana. If you've got a Chem 101 exam or a History paper, take a break from studying and get your voting out of the way. If you're leaving for summer break, don't forget to vote before you leave town.

From state to state, young voter turnout had doubled, tripled, and sometimes even quadrupled. NC and IN might have late primaries, but people are looking to you to see if you'll keep the trend. Don't let them down!

Poll: 18-30-Year-Olds to Play Major Role in 2008 Elections

Today, Rock the Vote, WWE®’s Smackdown Your Vote!®, and Sacred Heart University released a new nationwide poll of 18-30-year-olds that indicates young voters are likely to play a major role in the 2008 elections, going to the polls motivated by concerns over the war in Iraq, health care, the economy, and the cost of education.

The poll found that Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani are currently the top primary choices among 18-30-year-old Democrats and Republicans.

From the news release:

“Young voters are a potential powerhouse in the 2008 elections,” said Kat Barr, research director with Rock the Vote. “This poll is yet another indicator that candidates who want to win in 2008 must court this large and increasingly active group of voters.” After declining nearly continuously for three decades, 18-29-year-olds’ voter turnout has increased in the past two major elections. In 2004, 4.3 million more voters under 30 cast ballots than had in 2000 – the total 18-29-year-old vote, 20.1 million, rivaled in size the much sought-after over-65 vote (23 million). Youth turnout also increased in 2006, by 1.9 million over 2002 levels.

Key findings:

Increasingly Engaged and Positive
• More than three-quarters (77%) indicated they are paying a “great deal” of attention to the November 2008 presidential election, much higher rates than found in similar polling from this time in 2003.
• A large majority (87%) report they plan to vote in November 2008, and 85% believe that their vote counts, up from 75% one year ago. (SHU 9/06 poll)

Top Issues
• Top issues are the war in Iraq (28%), health care (22%), the economy (14%), and education (13%).
• When asked whether they agreed with certain statements, 82% reported they are concerned with college affordability, 68% said global warming is a real and growing threat, and 65% said the U.S. government should provide universal health care to all.
• On Iraq, 49% of 18-30-year-olds said the U.S. should withdraw immediately. When asked about the surge, 49% said that it appears to be helping the situation.

Vote Choice
• Among young Democrats, Hillary Clinton was the top choice to win the Democratic primary (54%), followed by Barack Obama (24%), and John Edwards (8.4%).
• Among young Republicans, Rudy Giuliani received the most primary support (32%), followed by Fred Thompson (20%), Mitt Romney (16%), and John McCain (13%).
• For the November 2008 general election, 56% of 18-30-year-olds chose a Democrat as their preferred candidate, while 39% selected Republican candidates.

For the news release and full poll results, see Rock the Vote's website or visit Sacred Heart University.

Rock the Caucus

“Rock the Caucus” Launches to Mobilize Young Iowans to 2008 Caucuses

Exciting news! Today, Rock the Vote announced Rock the Caucus, our joint, nonpartisan Iowa program with Secretary of State Michael A. Mauro and Iowa PIRG’s New Voters Project.

In high schools and colleges across the state, we'll recruit students to pledge to caucus in January and to bring their friends along, too. We'll combine old-fashioned shoe leather organizing with online buzz to drive young Iowans to the poll in droves.

Check out the Rock the Caucus website: here, you can pledge to caucus, recruit your friends to pledge, join a RTV Street Team, and download toolkits for students and teachers. Let's Rock the Caucus in 2008!

From RTV's news release:
“'Across the nation, young voters turned out in large numbers in the 2004 and 2006 general elections – the first step to continuing that momentum in 2008 is mobilizing young voters in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus," said RTV Executive Director Heather Smith. “We’re thrilled to work with Iowa Secretary of State Michael A. Mauro and Iowa PIRG to tap the voting power of young adults in Iowa and continue the recent trend of growing young voter participation.'

"Young Iowans, according to recent polling, appear to be up for grabs among the leading contenders on both sides of the aisle: young Democrats are most supportive of Hillary Clinton (40%), Barack Obama (23%), and John Edwards (15%), and young Republicans are most supportive of Mitt Romney (22%) and Fred Thompson (24%), followed by Rudy Giuliani (9%), John McCain (9%), and Mike Huckabee (9%). (Rasmussen Poll, Oct. 2007) Given the fluidity of voter choice among the Iowa electorate, all candidates have ample opportunity to court young voters as the caucus nears.

“'Young people will vote if they are asked to,' said Sujatha Jahagirdar, Iowa PIRG New Voters Project Program Director. 'It’s up to the candidates to sit up, take notice, and reach out to young voters.'

"Polling from Rock the Vote finds young adults are engaged in the 2008 elections, but need to hear from candidates on top issues, including education and college affordability, jobs and the economy, health care, and Iraq. 'Young voters need to hear real answers and concrete plans this election. By hitting the pavement in Iowa, we’ll ensure that this demand is heard loudly and clearly at Caucus time,' concluded Jahagirdar."

Was the YouTube Debate the Debate for Young Voters?

Did you catch the CNN/YouTube Democratic Presidential Debates Monday night? We sure hope you did, because a good portion of the media coverage has been emphasizing that this was the debate where young voters finally were heard. This debate, held in Charleston, South Carolina was a bit more nontraditional, for the questions were asked not by a famous news personality, but rather by average Americans who submitted their queries over the popular video website YouTube (though the debate was moderated by CNN's Anderson Cooper). Though many newspapers and blogs posted varied opinions about the candidates' performances or the technology used in the debate are undoubtedly varied, many of the articles agreed that young voters had a disproportionate role in the debates:

• The Associated Press reported that the submitted questions "were blunt and earnest, yet sometimes bizarre...[with] most of them coming from young people."
• The Boston Globe commented that "the unusual forum allowed many Americans access to the political process, since questioners did not need to travel to the debate site to ask questions. Further, the Internet-age nature of the debate was appealing to young voters, a growing political force which has been active in online political activity but less likely than older voters to watch formal debates."
• The American Prospect hypothesized what makes this debate seem so different. Answer: "the people asking the questions. Maybe because only people under 30 can operate a webcam, the men and women addressing the candidates here have a very different set of priorities. A lesbian couple from Brooklyn asks if they should be allowed to get married. A young black man demands that the candidates reveal if they support reparations for slavery. A student wonders if 18-year old women should be required to register for the draft."
• The Baltimore Sun goes as far to call those aged 18-28 "the YouTube generation," and jabs that it is them "who spend hours in front of their computers every day - and are less likely to vote than older Americans."
• The Bayou Buzz claims the popularity of the debates to be evidence "that the youth are plugged into the presidential election like never before."
• And Rush Limbaugh speculates that the Democratic Party was eager to work with YouTube since it will encourage young voter turnout on Election Day.
  

In case you didn't catch the debate, watch the questions again on YouTube, and then log on to the New York Times or CNN to view the candidates' answers. In either case, do you think that this debate (along with the upcoming CNN/YouTube Republican Presidential Debate in September) adequately addresses youth issues?

Stop Reading Polls

It seems everyone and every agency is trying to pinpoint who the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates will be some five months before the primary season begins. Though this is normal behavior, a New Hampshire news article suggests that polls may not be indicative of any certain outcome. Building on previously mentioned issues with polling, the latest UNH Survey Center presidential primary poll suggests that most New Hampshire voters--both Republicans and Democrats--have not made a final decision on which candidate they will support in the 2008 primaries. However, they DO still respond to their currently-favored candidate when pollsters call their homes rather than claim themselves as undecided, meaning that the poll results may be skewed. This is good news for the campaigns of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Fmr. Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), who have both slipped from frontrunners among their party to fourth place in the most recent polls.

Are you feeling presidential?

An article in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution details the popular social networking website MySpace's plans to launch a new reality television show entitled "Independent." Throughout the series, MySpace users will be able to vote on which of the show's contestants--chosen by video submissions to MySpace--would be the presidential candidate that best represented "the collective voice of Americans." Though the contestants aren't seasoned politicians, they will be advised by national politicians and operatives. The winner of the final virtual election will win $1 million, but he or she must either donate the prize to a real candidate or political action committee, or invest it into a personal run for the White House. Though the show hasn't been picked up by a major broadcaster, its producers, who include Mark Burnett of "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" fame, hope the series will air in Spring 2008.

So, how many of you are running for president now?

Healthy News for Health Care Voters

Well folks, the New York Times has declared that the 2008 presidential process is going to basically be a single-issue election surrounding the state of the United States' health care system. Yes, though we're still sixteen months away from November 4th, the residual spirit from Michael Moore's new documentary Sicko as well as the continuous pressure from the general electorate has yielded promises from almost all candidates--Republican and Democrat--to overhaul the health care system and ensure insurance coverage for all Americans. However, the Republican and Democrat strategy differ: "Republicans, by and large, promise to expand coverage by using a variety of tax incentives to empower consumers to buy it themselves, from private insurers...[while] many Democrats also see a strong role for government, including, in some plans, new requirements that individuals obtain insurance and that employers provide it, along with substantial new government spending to subsidize coverage for people who cannot afford it."

Though it seems a bit premature to assume the 2008 elections will only address health care, Americans' concerns are rightfully understood. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, insurance premiums have risen in cost by 87% since 2000, while a National Center for Education Statistics report states that one in three 18 to 29-year-olds in America lack health insurance coverage.

Though we'll undoubtedly hear a book's worth more on each candidate's health care plan, below are each candidate's statement so far. If a candidate lacked a statement on health care on their website, the link goes to either a nonpartisan article or something the candidate authored which was not placed on their website:
DEMOCRATS
Barack Obama
Hillary Clinton
Bill Richardson
John Edwards
Christopher Dodd
Dennis Kucinich
Joe Biden
Mike Gravel
REPUBLICANS
Rudy Giuliani
Fred Thompson
Duncan Hunter
Jim Gilmore
Jim Cox
Mitt Romney
John McCain
Ron Paul
Mike Huckabee
Sam Brownback
Tom Tancredo
Tommy Thompson

Read This!

Time.com came out with an article that talks about the early attention being paid to the youth vote. It also highlights some of the research Young Voter Strategies has done about the best ways to mobilize young voters.

Among the interesting assertions that isn't all that surprising is that "new technology is certainly helpful in communicating with younger voters, but it shouldn't be the only means of targeting them," says Heather Smith, the director of YVS. Her organization's research shows that face-to-face contact is the most effective way of getting young adults to actually vote for a specific candidate. Also key is talking about issues that are most relevant to young adults.

For more tips on mobilizing young voters, check out this fact sheet produced by YVS.