We already know that young people are a powerful political force in 2020, but young people cannot vote if they cannot access the ballot box. Since 2012, over 1,000 polling locations have closed and we’ve had enough. Last week, our sister organization, Alliance for Youth Organizing, launched a brand new initiative with MTV, Campus Vote Project, and the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition called  +1 the Polls — the first-ever national effort to create new polling sites on college campuses and in local communities for the 2020 primaries and general elections. 

Watch +1 the Polls video on website

We are no strangers to fighting for polling locations on college campuses. In 2018, MOVE Texas and partners organized and threatened to sue Hays County if they did not reopen polling locations for early voting and election day on campus. In the same year, organizers with Engage Miami fought the county to place early voting polling locations at the Miami Dade campus, one of the largest higher education institutions in the country. Both won polling locations on their campuses. Learn more about these efforts here.

Now, we are taking this fight to the national stage. Through +1 the Polls, we are offering a comprehensive toolkit, access to webinars, hands-on support, funding, and more for young people who want to add or protect a polling location on their college or university campus. Visit our website to learn more about the initiative and how to get involved.

If you’ve got 5 seconds, help us spread the word about this crucial movement to expand access, drive youth voter turnout, and make history.

Doing democracy right one polling location at a time,

Daniela Mrabti
Communications Manager