Dear Friend,

Courage California Institute believes that our leaders and our policies should reflect all of us. That starts with motivating and supporting all voters, especially young voters, to participate in every election.

But that's not happening. In 2020, only 1 out of every 2 people aged 18–29 cast a ballot.(1)

In 2018, a non-presidential election year, the numbers were worse: only 1 in 3 young voters turned out.(2)

If these trends continue, the next generation of voters -- the largest voting bloc in the country -- could be some of the least engaged in history. And our policies, representatives, and leadership could be decided by a small fraction of the population. 

That's why Courage California Institute's Your Power Is Your Vote initiative is turning its resources to these potential voters -- and we need your help to plan how to shape this program in the future. 

Will you fill out our five-minute voter engagement survey and help us plan our get-out-the-vote work for 2022 and beyond?

In the age of covid, "fake news," and extreme partisanship, potential voters are distrustful of the system at large. 

Only 7% of people fully trust reporting of the world's events by newspapers and television programs -- the second-lowest in history. Close to 70% of young people think that politicians are motivated by selfishness rather than the best interests of their constituents.(3)

However, 83% of young people believe they have the power to make change -- we just have to show them that their vote matters.(4)

As a valued member of Courage California Institute, your input is critical about where we go next. We know that you are engaged and believe in the efficacy of your vote, so we want to know: Why do you vote? What motivates you? And what should we be devoting resources to in the future? 

Please take five minutes and fill out our short survey. Your voice matters.

Click here to fill out our voter engagement survey now.

Yours in the fight for our democracy,

Jay, along with Angela, Amber, Annie, Caitlin, Irene, Isidra, Lindsay, LisaMarie, Raquel, and Scottie (the Courage team) 

Footnotes:
1. https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/half-youth-voted-2020-11-point-increase-2016
2. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/04/behind-2018-united-states-midterm-election-turnout.html
3. https://iop.harvard.edu/youth-poll/spring-2021-harvard-youth-poll
4. https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/poll-young-people-believe-they-can-lead-change-unprecedented-election-cycle

Courage California (formerly Courage Campaign) makes sure our democracy works for ALL of us by fighting corruption in California politics. We believe the solution lies in exposing and solving systemic problems through strategic organizing, enhancing coordination between progressive organizations, and mobilizing civic engagement from our communities, particularly voters of color, young voters, and self-identified progressives. The Courage California Institute is the educational arm of the Courage California family of organizations. Our mission is to defend and extend human rights through innovative leadership development, training, strategic research, and public education.

Courage California Institute is a 501c(3) non-profit organization. Contributions or gifts to Courage California Institute are tax deductible within IRS guidelines.