Dear John,
Youth have always been at the forefront of change in our country. Over the last few weeks, we have witnessed young people pour into the streets to recognize Black Lives Matter and to demand changes that reflect that truth. At the same time, we have seen a surge in voter registrations and online engagement as these same young people look to take action to create lasting and meaningful change to dismantle systematic racial injustice. At Rock the Vote, we are working to build on the energy of today and carry that momentum forward into November and beyond.
Surging Online Voter Registrations
Rock the Vote's platform has processed over 525,000 voter registration applications in 2020. On track to process more than 200,000 applications for the month of June, we are witnessing a spike in registrations not driven by voter registration deadlines, but by an urgency to take action. By comparison, our platform processed nearly 35,000 applications in June 2016 and we didn’t hit the 500,000 mark until September of 2016!
Since mid-March, when shelter-in-place orders were put into effect, we’ve supported more than 175 organizations as they transitioned voter registration efforts online with dozens more in the pipeline.
Kicking Off Democracy Summer 2020
Together with over 30 nonprofit partners, we kicked off Democracy Summer [[link removed]] with a virtual event headlined by Katy Perry [[link removed]] and The Black Eyed Peas [[link removed]] . The event included a variety of artists and speakers, including Little Miss Flint [[link removed]] , Sen. Elizabeth Warren [[link removed]] (D-MA), Sen. Cory Booker [[link removed]] (D-NJ) and former HUD Secretary Julian Castro [[link removed]] among others, and was viewed by over 1.5 million with nearly 400,000 watching the entire program! The event marked the official start of our coordinated summer-long effort to recruit more than 200,000 new voters to the polls in November.
Read more about the event in CNN [[link removed]] , Variety [[link removed]] , Billboard [[link removed]] , Essence [[link removed]] and Rolling Stone [[link removed]] . Be sure to keep up-to-date on activations throughout the summer by signing up for updates at DemocracySummer.org
Sharing Information With Young Voters
We are seeing a huge jump in online engagement as young people are seeking out and sharing information. According to a 2018 survey conducted by CIRCLE, “Young people who heard about the election on at least one of the top-four social media platforms were more likely to say they intended to vote.” [[link removed]] Since June 1st, we’ve seen the number of followers on our Instagram increase by 51% with 2 million social media impressions across all platforms. Social media is an important tool as almost 90% of young people ages 18-29 use at least one social media site and these platforms have an extraordinary reach, which is particularly important to youth who are not contacted by candidates or campaigns.
Rock the Vote encourages young people to make their voices heard through protest, one of the highest forms of civic participation, and to carry that energy into November to elect leaders who can implement the change they wish to see. Follow us on Facebook [[link removed]] , Instagram [[link removed]] , Twitter [[link removed]] , Snapchat [[link removed]] and TikTok [[link removed]] .
Don’t Miss a Beat
In case you missed it, you can check us out in recent news stories talking about youth voting during this time:
* George Floyd Protests Created a Surge in Voter Registrations, Groups Say
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* Voter Registration Grows Amid Ongoing Protests
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* Covid-19 Changed How We Vote. It Could Also Change Who Votes.
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* H.E.R. Releases New Song 'I Can't Breathe' & Announces Special Black Music Month Edition of 'Girls With Guitars'
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* How Black Lives Matter Could Reshape the 2020 Elections
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Rock the Vote continues to work around the clock to stand with and fight for young voters in our democracy. Donations from donors like you allow us to continue our work to ensure that all young voices are heard on Election Day
www.rockthevote.org/about-rock-the-vote/donate
For the month of June, your donations up to $20,000 will be doubled through the generous support of an anonymous donor. Chipping in $20 means $40 will go toward helping us continue to fulfill our mission. There’s no more important time than now. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Carolyn DeWitt
PS: We’ve launched new merch on our online store! We’ve added “VOTE” facemasks, mugs, and hats to our online store so be sure to pick something up for yourself or get a gift for that special democracy lover or young voter in your life all while helping make a difference!
SHOP NOW
www.bonfire.com/store/rockthevote
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Rock the Vote is a nonprofit working to protect voting rights for every American and enfranchise young people in the political process.
We are not affiliated with any political party or campaign.
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