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8/3/2019 Winning Young Voters
1/13
8/3/2019 Winning Young Voters
2/13
In addition to voter mobilization work,
Rock the Vote is a trusted expert
on young voters and provides tools
or campaigns, candidates and
nonprots to help them politically
engage young adults. Tools include:
Handbooks & TipsHeeTs
Winning Young Voters: Our premier campaignhandbook . Use this to plan your young voter
outreach.
Young Voter Registration and Turnout Trends:
Your one-stop source or acts on 18-29 year
olds registration and turnout trends rom
2000-2008, by race, gender, education level,
income, and more.
Targeting Young Voters: Results o our young
voter modeling project, including practical tips
on using the results. With Greenberg Quinlan
Rosner Research and Public Opinion Strategies.
(Spring 2008)
Young Voter Mobilization Tactics II: Case
studies o seven 2006 campaigns and how
they targeted young voters as part o winning
electoral strategies. From our partners at Young
Voter Strategies.
Young Voter Mobilization Tactics I: A summary
o the research-tested best practices or youth
get-out-the-vote. From our partners at YoungVoter Strategies and CIRCLE.
Tipsheets: Top Ten Tips to Mobilize Young Voters,
New Media Tactics series, and more.
Campaign TrainingsSign up or a Winning Young Voters
campaign training conducted by a Rock the
Vote young voter mobilization expert. Trainings
are designed or political parties, campaigns
and organizations interested in bringing young
adults into their programs.
online VoTerregisTraTion ToolRock the Vote has an innovative, easy-to-use
tool or online voter registration that can be
placed on any website, blog or social network
page. Get it at www.rockthevote.com/partners
and you can start registering voters online
right away. The tool is ree and available to
everyone.
opinion researCHRock the Vote Young Voter Polls and Focus
Groups
February 2008 Poll o 18-29 year olds political
attitudes, presidential vote choice, party
identication, and issue concerns, conducted
by Lake Research Partners and The Tarrance
Group.
October 2007 Focus groups o young voters in
ve cities, conducted by Lake and Tarrance.
October 2007 Poll o 18-29 year olds political
attitudes and issue concerns, conducted with
Sacred Heart University and WWEs Smackdown
Your Vote.
2006 Three polls o 18-30 year olds political
attitudes, communications habits, vote
choice, and issue concerns, conducted in
April, September, and November by Lake and
Tarrance.
Polling Young Voters Reports A monthly
publication o Rock the Vote that summarizes
the latest 18-29 year old results rom other
organizations and media outlets public
polling.
Table of ConTenTs
Introduction: Young Voters A Political Powerhouse ................. .. 2
Why Target Young Voters? .................. .......... ........... .......... .......... .. 3
Who Are Young Voters? ................................................................. 4
About the Millennial Generation
Diverse demographics
How to Find & Mobil ize Young Voters I Voter Registration ..... .... 8
Best practices and tips
How to Find & Mobilize Young Voters II Get Out the Vote ........12
Best practices and tips
How to Talk to Young Voters .........................................................16
Top issues
TipsMessaging that works
Case Studies ................................................................................18
How campaigns targeted the youth vote and won
Conclusion: Winning Young Voters in 2008 and Beyond............19
About Rock the Vote ....................................................................20
Tools from roCk THe VoTe Winning Young VoTersroCk THe VoTes Handbook for Campaigns,
poliTiCal parTies and organizaTions
THaT WanT To engage Young VoTers in THeir Campaigns.
Find these tools and more at www.rocktheVote.comor contact rock the Vote at 202-719-9910
8/3/2019 Winning Young Voters
3/13
In 2008, candidates who want to
win in November must target young
voters as part o their campaign
strategies. Winning Young Voters
tells you how to do that.
Young voters are playing an increasingly
signicant role in American elections. Ater
decades o declining turnout, todays young
adults, the Millennial Generation, are emergingas a political powerhouse voting in record
numbers and playing a deciding role in close
elections.
Numbering 44 million citizens in 2008, todays
18-29 year olds are voting in growing numbers.
Turnout among 18-29 year olds increased by
millions in both 2004 and 2006:
2004 Vs. 2000turnout oF young VotersSOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
2002 Vs. 2006turnout oF young VotersSOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
In act, in 2004, the number o 18-29 year
old voters (20.1 million) rivaled the size o
the much-coveted over-65 electorate (22.3
million). (U.S. Census Bureau)
The 2008 primaries and caucuses solidied
young voters power at the polls.
18-29 year old Primaryturnout in 2008*AS OF MARCH 5TH, WHERE DATA AVAILABLE
Eighteen to 29 year old voters doubled and
tripled their turnout in virtually every primary
and caucus o the 2008 cycle.1 Overall, young
voter turnout increased 109% in states where
comparisons are possible more than double.2
Not only are young adults voting in record
numbers, this group o voters is making the
dierence in elections around the country. In
2006, the youth vote was the winning margin
in several congressional and Senate contests,
including Montana, Virginia and Missouri; in
2008, young adults propelled the winners to
victory on both sides o the aisle in many states,
including Iowa, Georgia and Caliornia.3
In 2008, candidates who want to win will needto court young voters. Use this handbook as
a tool to do just that. Target young voter s to
win today and to build a powerul base or
generations to come.
1 Rock the Vote and CIRCLE tabulations o CNN exit
polls and reported vote totals by state.
2 As o March 5, 2008. Figures are Rock the
Vote tabulations o 2008 exit polls and CIRCLEtabulations o 2000 and 2004 vote totals.
3 For 2006 case studies, see Young Voter Strategies
Young Voter Mobilization Tactics Volume II; or
2008 examples, see Rock the Votes post-SuperTuesday press release at www.RockTheVote.com
To Win eleCTions TodaY
y v p: More than
one-th o the electorate is between 18-29
years o age, a total o 44 million potential
voters.
y = : In a close race, new, young
voters can make the winning dierence.
t v: Despite the long-standing
conventional wisdom that young adults
dont vote, todays 18-29 year olds areturning out in large and growing numbers.
i : Young adults can be registered
and turned out in cost-eective ways that t
right into your campaigns overall strategy.
And young voters, like all voters, are attracted
to candidates that reach out to them.
Theyll vote in big numbers in 2008, its just a
question o who will get their votes.
Young VoTers Can make THe
Winning differenCe in TigHT raCes.
To build long-Term
poliTiCal poWer
P vp
v : Reams o academic research
show a young voters rst presidential vote
and party pick infuence their party choice
or decades.
V : The strongest predictor
o whether a person will vote is whether or
not they have voted beore. Winning young
voters the rst time pays dividends or years
to come.
THe parTY THaT Wins THe YouTH
VoTe TodaY is on TraCk To
dominaTe eleCTions for deCades
To Come.
Young VoTers:a poliTiCal poWerHouse WHY TargeT Young VoTers?
4 Original Chart by Bill Marsh at the New York Times and the Pew Research Center or the People and the Press.
todays Voters: how generation inFluences Party 4
2 3
8/3/2019 Winning Young Voters
4/13
WHo are Young VoTers?
abouT THemillennialgeneraTionThe Millennial Generation those
born between 1977 and 1997 - is
the largest American generation
since the Baby Boomers.4 Today,
Millennials are ages 11 to 31 andnumber 78 million citizens.5 Within
that, the young voter cohort those
between 18 and 29 years o age
numbers 44 million.6
Millennials are dening themselves
as a politically engaged, tech-savvy,
and diverse generation.
4 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, BabyBoomers (born between 1946 and 1964) number
78.2 million.
5 Rock the Vote tabulations o the U.S. Census
Bureau Current Population Survey, March 2007.6 Ibid
poliTiCallY engaged
Young adults are taking action on key issues
in communities and on campuses all across
the country. From the 5,000-person Power Shit
summit on climate change in Maryland in 2007
to the 2,000-person march or voting rights in
Prairie View, Texas in 2008, young adults arent
sitting on the sidelines o the most important
ghts theyre leading them.
Young volunteers are ueling political
campaigns, too. In 2006, campaign
strategists or several winners Senator Jon
Tester, Congressman Joe Courtney, and
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, to name
a ew credited young voters and volunteers
or helping uel their victories. In the 20 08
primaries, the story is magnied ten-old. Young
adults are driving the successes o many
primary campaigns in 2008.
TeCH-saVVY
Todays 18 year olds began kindergarten in
1995, when encyclopedias were going the way
o the eight-track. Cell phones, text messages,
email, instant messages, and online social
networks are how young adults communicate
today.
According to The Pew Research Center:
88 percent o 18-29 year olds are online
(compared to 32 percent o those 65 andolder);
70 percent o 18-30 year olds use the Internet
daily and two-thirds check their email daily;
About one-quarter o 18-30 year olds use
communications such as Facebook or
instant messaging.7
And while the digital divide persists, it is
lessening with this generation 67 percent
o 18-29 year old Latinos and 77 percent o
Arican Americans are online.
eConomiCallY inseCure
Debt and living paycheck-to-paycheck is a act
o lie or todays young adults. Over the past
decade, college costs, health insurance, and
housing costs have soared. About two-thirds o
college students graduate with debt, with the
average graduate owing $20,000,8 and many
single adults have a hard time making ends
meet on one income.
A February Rock the Vote poll ound that in
2008 the economy and jobs have surpassed
the war in Iraq as 18-29 year olds top issue o
concern, ollowed closely by health care and
education costs. Clearly, todays young adults
are having a hard time making ends meet in a
dicult economy.
7 Rock the Vote poll with Lake Research Partners
and The Tarrance Group, May 2006.
8 The College Board, 2006 Trends in HigherEducation Series: Student Debt.
diVerse
Sixty-one percent o Millennial adults are white,
17 percent are Hispanic, 15 percent are black,
and 4 percent are Asian. In comparison, 84
percent o Americans over 65 years o age
are white. Mil lennial voters are also a diverse
group, and becoming increasingly so:9
race & ethnicity oF young Voters(18-29) in Presidential elections
race & ethnicity oF young Voters(18-29) in midterm elections
9 Charts are rom Young Voter Registration and
Turnout Trends, by Rock the Vote and CIRCLE,2008.4 5
8/3/2019 Winning Young Voters
5/13
diVerse demograpHiCs
As noted, young voters are a very
diverse group and certainly not
monolithic in their political attitudes.
Below we provide a snapshot o
the characteristics o young voters
overall as well as several subgroups.
Young VoTers
Size: There are 44 million 18-29 year old citizens
in the U.S.,10 one-th o the electorate. Todays
18-29 year olds are part o the Millennial
Generation, the biggest generation since the
Baby Boomers.
Issues: According to Rock the Vote polling,
young voters top issues are jobs and the
economy, ollowed by Iraq, education and the
cost o college, and health care.11
Voting: In 2004, young voter turnout jumped by
nine percentage points or 4.3 million votes
over 2000 levels. Again in 2006, turnout was up
this time by 1.9 million over 2002 levels.12 And
in the 2008 primaries, 18-29 year olds turnout
doubled and tripled in nearly ever contest.13
Party ID: 47% Democrat, 28% Republican, and
16% Independent.14
10 Rock the Vote tabulations o the U.S. Census
Bureau Current Population Survey, March 2007.11 Rock the Vote 2008 February 2008 poll o 18-29
year olds.
12 Young Voter Registration and Turnout Trends.
CIRCLE and Rock the Vote. February 2008.13 Rock the Vote and CIRCLE tabulations based on
2000, 2004, and 2008 CNN exit polls and reported
vote totals.
14 Rock the Vote 2008 February 2008 poll o 18-29year olds.
Young afriCan-ameriCans
sz: There are 6.3 millionArican-American
citizens between the ages o 18 and 29. (U.S.
Census)
i: According to Rock the Vote polling, this
groups top issues are jobs and the economy,
Iraq, education and the cost o college, and
health care and prescription drugs.
V: In 2004, under-25 Arican-Americans
increased their turnout by 11 points and votedat rates as high as the overall age group or the
rst time in decades. Turnout went up again in
2006. (RTV-CIRCLE)
Party ID: 73% Democrat, 6% Republican, and
15% Independent. (RTV poll)
Young laTinossz: There are 5.6 millionLatino citizens
between 18 and 29 in the U.S. Young Latinos
are the largest and astest-growing racial or
ethnic subset o young adults; 50,000 turn 18
each month. (U.S. Census)
i: According to Rock the Vote polling,
young Latinos top issuesare immigration, jobs
and the economy, the environment and global
warming, and Iraq.
V: In 2004, turnout among 18-29 year old
Latinos jumped six percentage points. In other
words, 1.1 million more Latinos under 30 voted
than had in 2000. (RTV-CIRCLE)
P id: 51% Democrat, 21% Republican, and
19% as Independent. (RTV poll)
Young Women
sz:There are 22 million women between the
ages o 18 and 29 eligible to vote in the U.S.
(U.S. Census)
i: According to Rock the Vote polling, this
groups top issues are jobs and the economy,
ollowed by health care, education and the
cost o college, and Iraq.
V: Young women vote at higher rates than
their male peers. In act, in 2004 young womenled the overall young voter turnout increase,
jumping 10 percentage points over 2000 levels.
(RTV-CIRCLE)
Pid: 55% Democrat, 26% Republican,
and 19% Independent. When marital status is
considered, the gap in identication decreases.
Forty-eight percent o young married women
identiy as Democrats, 40% as Republicans, and
5% as Independents. (RTV poll)
Young men
sz:There are 22 million men between the
ages o 18 and 29 eligible to vote in the U.S.
(U.S. Census)
Issues: According to Rock the Vote polling,
young mens top issues are jobs and the
economy, ollowed by Iraq, health care, gas
prices, and immigration.
V: Young mens voter turnout lags behind
young womens, but men have also increasedtheir turnout in the past two elections. In 2004,
participation among men under 30 jumped by
almost 8 points over 2000 levels; in 2006, their turn-
out grew by 3 points over 2002 levels. (RTV-CIRCLE)
P id: 38% Democrat, 30% Republican, and
22% Independent. (RTV poll)
Young demoCraTs
sz: Approximately 47% o 18-29 year olds
identiy as Democrats, an estimated 20 million
young adults.
Issues: According to Rock the Vote polling,
young Democrats top issues are jobs and
the economy, Iraq, education and the cost o
college, health care, and the environment and
global warming.
V: Up until the 2004
election, 18-29 year olds
were evenly divided between the
two political parties in terms o vote
choice. However, young adults began to vote
increasingly Democratic in 2004.
In 2004, under-30 voters were the only age
group John Kerry won: 54% o 18-29 year olds
voted or Kerry and 45% or George W. Bush.15
In 2006, 58% o 18-29 year olds chose
Democratic congressional candidates. (RTV-
CIRCLE)
In 2008, about two and a hal times as many
18-29 year olds have voted in Democratic
primaries compared to Republican
primaries.16
Young republiCans
Size: Approximately 28% o 18-29 year olds
identiy as Republicans, an estimated 12 million
young adults.
Issues: According to Rock the Vote polling,
young Republicans top issues are jobs and
the economy, immigration, gas prices, health
care, terrorism and homeland security, and the
budget decit.
V: While the GOP is acing decreasing
support rom young voters, the energy and
loyalty o young Republicans bodes well or
their commitment to the party in 2008 andbeyond.
In 2008, young Republican turnout increased
in almost every primary, as did young adults
share o the overall Republican vote.17
Young Republicans are paying close
attention to the 2008 election, and the vast
majority reports a high level o avorability
toward and intent to vote or the partys
nominee, John McCain. (RTV poll)
15 National Election Pool Exit Poll, 2004.
16 As o March 5, 2008. From Rock the Votes
Young Voter Turnout 2008 - Primaries and
Caucuses actsheet.17 Ibid
WHo are Young VoTers?
6 7
8/3/2019 Winning Young Voters
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HoW To find & mobilize Young VoTers i:VoTer regisTraTionRegistration is the best get-out-the-
vote tactic around: 2004, 82% f
registered18-29 v.18
I youre in a tight race and need a
way to create more votes, register
young adults. I ts cost-eect ive and
it works.
Online, you can register anew young voter or $2-10 per
registration application.19
By direct mail, you can
generate a new registration
application or $5-7 per
person.20
In person on campus and
at events volunteers can
generate new registrations
at very little cost and paid
sta can or $8-15 per
registration.21
Bonus Tip: Registration builds
lists. By registering voters you
can ID new supporters and
collect contact ino that
will be crucial to running
persuasion, education, or GOTV eorts.
regisTraTion TaCTiCs THaT WorkThe rule o thumb or voter registration is to
go where young people spend their time at
home, at school, online, or in communities
and ask them to register to vote.
18 U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey,
Voting and Registration Supplement November
2004.
19 Rock the Vote online registration test results.20 Results rom Rock the Vote re-registration direct
mail experiments, 2007-2008, conducted by MSHC
Partners.
21 Estimates based on feld experiences o youthvote organizations. Cost depends on sta wages.
online22
More than 80% o 18-29 year olds are
online regular ly. With a ew simple
techniques you can register large
numbers o young adults online or
relatively little cost. Here are a ew
ways to do this:
Your WebsiTe
Your rst step should be to
put r V
v on
your website, blog, and social
network pages. i f
. You can sign up or
your own widget at www.
RocktheVote.com/partners
and start registering voters
online right away.
The best news -
f f
v
- an instant GOTV or
volunteer outreach list.
Tips or online registration:
Promote It: Promoting registration onyour site is key email your lists, place the
Register to Vote button in a prominent
location, post voter registration updates and
deadlines in your Latest News section or
on your blog, or challenge your riends and
colleagues to a registration contest.
Timing Matters: Promote registration
prominently on your website as deadlines
approach.
Make it Visible: Put the button on your ront
page or blog, and regularly promote it in
your Latest News section so that visitors are
reminded to register.
Reminders: Email your list as deadlines
22 Winning Young Voters - New Media Tactics I,orthcoming rom Rock the Vote, spring 2008.
approach and plug registration on your
website when doing TV or radio or speaking
at events. Make sure to include a Register
your Friends link.
High-Trafc Sites: The online voter
registration tool can also be posted to blogs,
MySpace proles, and Facebook an pages.
I you have these (and you should), put the
widget up there and message your riends
as deadlines approach.
soCial neTWorks
Millions o young voters spend a lot o time
on social networks MySpace, Facebook,
MiGente, BlackPlanet and more. Make sure toset up a prole on the key networks ask your
young sta and volunteers which ones (or
contact Rock the Vote) and designate one
o those younger sta members to make sure
the site is constantly updated and integrated
with your campaigns overall online organizing
strategy.
Post a link to your websites voter registration
rom all o these sites (or put a widget on there,
too) and make sure your prole or page is
highlighting upcoming registration deadlines,
campaign events, and more.
online
adVerTising
Internet Ads:For $2-10per registration, you can places ads
on youth-oriented websites and generate
registrations that way.23 Figure out which
websites are most heavily visited by your
target demographic (or instance, ESPN.
com or men, People.com or women) and
place a Register to Vote Today ad that linksback to your website.
Search Advertising: With Google, MSN, or
Yahoo search advertising you can advertise
your campaign website and generate
registrations or less than $5 each.24 With
geographic targeting you can opt to only
show your ads in the states, cities, or zip
codes that are most important to your
campaign. Advertise on search phrases
like register to vote, voting inormation,
elections, or your candidates name.
Facebook Advertising: With simple text and
image ads you can register young voters
on Facebook or $5 - $10.25 You can choose
to show the ads in the states, cities, or even
colleges you are targeting, as well as by
demographic characteristics, and you only
pay when people click the ad. Find out
more at http://www.acebook.com/ads
VoTer regisTraTion ConTinued...
23 Winning Young Voters - New Media Tactics I,
orthcoming rom Rock the Vote, spring 2008.
24 Ibid25 Ibid8 9
8/3/2019 Winning Young Voters
7/13
10 11
eVenTs & CommuniTY Hubs
Work with 2-3 keyed-in young people
on your campaign to map out
where to nd the most young people
or event or site-based registration.
Brainstorm out the places where
young adults hang out in the area
and put together a plan to hit themwith volunteers and clipboards.
Sites: Bars, clubs, coee shops, theaters,
social services oces, transit centers, houses
o worship, barber shops, and city parks are
all great places to nd young adults.
Events: Fairs, estivals, concerts, outdoor
movies, and other events tend to draw a lot
o young adults.
At big events or high trac sites, one volunteer
can register about ve 18-29 year-old voters
per hour. For example, i 2 volunteers registered
voters at an event
or 3 hours, they
would register
about 30 voters.
I they registered
voters at ve events
or concerts, they
could register
150 voters.
on Campus
College campuses are the best places to nd
a lot o young people. Working with student
volunteers, there are many opportunities to
register young voters on campus:
Class and group presentations: Student
groups and large classes are great places to
register new voters. Work with volunteers on
campus to set up these presentations. You
can expect to register about 15% o each
class.
Tabling: Get a ew volunteers, grab some
clipboards, and ask passersby in high-trac
areas to register to vote. Volunteers can
expect to register about 5 people per hour.
Events: Hold an event on campus bringthe candidate, posters, volunteers and music
and register the crowd. Each volunteer
can expect to register 4-5 people per hour.
Dorm storms: Volunteers can go door-to-
door in dorms and generate rom 5-10
registrations per hour.
Keep in mind that not all
colleges look the same. Class
presentations are the best
tactic to use at two-year and
commuter schools, where
students usually dont live in
dorms or hang out on campus
during the day. On our-year
campuses, tabling, dorm storms,
and events work well, as do class
presentations.
direCT mail
Despite what you might assume,
direct mail is a very eective way to
register young adults to vote.
HoW To
l: Buy or build a list o 18-29 year olds
addresses. Make sure your mail vendor
perorms a change-o-address update
beore sending the mail young people
move a lot.
cv: The mail piece should indicate
clearly it is a voter registration orm, contain
a state-specic application on the inside,
and have a pre-printed return address.
F up: I you have emails or your mail
recipients, a reminder note can increase
return rates.
TargeTing
dp : Mail is very useul i you
want to target specic demographics.
Consumer data contains all sorts o
inormation on race, gender, political
leanings, and more.
Movers: Mail is an excellent tool or re-
registration. Match voter les or membership
lists to a change o address database and
send a registration orm to movers - they
may have orgotten to re-register at their
new address.
n V: Tests by Women s Voices. Wom-
en Vote. have had great success registering
young women around their 18th birthdays
with birthday card registration mailers.
CosTs
and raTes
RTVs 2007 test ound
that direct mail can generate
a completed registration or $5-7 per
application.
Six percent o those mailed a orm
completed the application in Rock the
Votes 2007 test; eight percent returned the
registration orm when also sent an emailreminder.
Tip: Timing maTTers
Upcoming voter registration deadlines,
new school semesters, and 18th
birthdays are all good times to remind
a person to register to vote. Out o all
those, though, deadlines are the best
motivator make sure to do a big push
beore your states deadline.
BOnUs Tip
While registering voters, be sure to
collect cell numbers and emails
so you can add them to your
phonebank and email lists. And
ask i they would like to receive text
messages rom your campaign i
they say yes, you can text them
with GOTV reminders.
BOnUs Tip:
Rock the Vote ound that nonpartisan,
ofcial-looking direct mail pieces
have the best rates o return. See below:
Ofcial Mail Piece
more successul
Branded Mail Piece
less successul
8/3/2019 Winning Young Voters
8/13
12 13
Studies show that contact rom
campaigns signicantly increases a
young persons likelihood o turning
out to vote on Election Day. Plus, its
cost-ecient and easy to integrate
with your overall campaign strategy.
A door knock can boost turnout by about 8
points or about $25 per additional vote.26
A live phone call increases turnout by 3-5
points or $20-26 per additional vote.27
A text message increases turnout by 3-4
points and can be very inexpensive.28
Multiple contacts rom a campaign can
increase turnout by 10-14 percentage
points.29
26 Getting Out the Vote in Local Elections: Results
rom Six Door-to-Door Canvassing Experiments,
Donald Green, Alan Gerber, and David Nickerson.Yale University, November 2003.
27 Getting Out the Youth Vote: Results rom
Randomized Field Experiments, Donald Green
and Alan Gerber, Yale University, December 29,2001 and Volunteer Phone Calls Can Increase
Turnout, David Nickerson, American Politics
Research. Vol 34(3): 271-292, 2006.
28 Text Messaging as a Youth Mobilization Tool,Allison Dale and Aaron Strauss, April 2007.
29 Voter Registration and Turnout Among College
Students, Richard Niemi and Michael Hanmer.
Prepared or the Annual Meeting o the AmericanPolitical Science Association, Philadelphia, PA,
September 2006 and The Eects o an Election
Day Voter Mobilization Campaign Targeting Young
Voters, Donald Green and CIRCLE, September2004.
goTV TaCTiCs THaT Work
CanVassing
You can increase turnout by about 8 points
among those contacted i you have ace-to-
ace contact with young adults beore Election
Day.
Timing is impor tant. A recent study shows
that ace-to-ace contact increases turnout
i done in the two weeks beore the election,
but not earlier than that.30
Studies show that other young or older
adults living with young people who are
canvassed also vote at signicantly higher
rates (spillover eect).
Make sure to include basic voting
inormation when canvassing young adults,
such as where and when to vote.
30 Forget Me Not? The Importance o Timing in Voter
Mobilization, David Nickerson. Paper presented
at the annual meeting o the American PoliticalScience Association, Philadelphia, PA, 2006.
pHone-banking
You can increase turnout by 3-5 percentage
points among those contacted by reaching
out to young voters through volunteer and paid
phonebanks the week beore the election.
Calls should be made by a real person, not
a computer.
Callers should emphasize where and when
to vote and the importance o having ones
voice heard.Keep the tone inormal and chatty and more
inormational than partisan.
The most eective time to call is rom 6-9pm
on weekdays, though weekend days can
also be eective.
BOnUs Tip:
Combining a pledge to vote
(either by phone or in person) with a
ollow-up get-out-the-vote phone call on
Election Day can increase turnout by 11
percentage points.31
31 The Eects o an Election Day Voter Mobilization
Campaign Targeting Young Voters, Green andCIRCLE, 2004.
TexT messaging
A 2006 test ound a GOTV text message can
increase young voter turnout by 4 percentage
points.
In the days leading up to an election, send a
text message reminder to vote to those who
have opted into receiving mobile updates
rom your campaign.
Keep it simple. For example, use a message
like: Hi Anne! Just a reminder that
TOMORROW is Election Day. Please vote.
TxtVoter.org (sample message rom the
2006 Strauss/Dale study)
Send messages close to Election Day, or on
it. Messages more than a week out may be
less eective.Bonus - texting is inexpensive. Depending on
your system, you can send a text message
GOTV reminder or as little as 5-10 cents.
Texting is a newly discovered successul GOTV
tactic more tips to come as we at Rock the
Vote learn more.
geT ouT THe VoTe ConTinued...
HoW To find & mobilize Young VoTers ii:geT ouT THe VoTe
gOTV Tip:
Keep yOUng peOple On yOUr lisTs
One o the simplest things you can do
is make sure to keep young adults on
your walk and call lists. Vendors oten
take them o i they lack a recorded vote
history but keep them on and you can
successully turn out new, young voters
using traditional campaign tactics.
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1514
TV, radio, and prinT ads
The mainstay o campaigns traditional
advertising can help get young people out
to the polls.
A 2004 study ound that Rock the Votes
pre-election ads increased turnout among
young adults by 2 percentage points.32
The cost per additional vote generated,
according to the study, was $14.
Other research indicates that TV, radio, andnewspaper ads may have a small (1-2
point) positive impact on voter turnout.33
Run ads where young voters will see and
hear them: top-rated TV shows and networks
or this demographic include Greys
Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Sports Center, Lost,
The Daily Show, MTV, the CW and Comedy
Central. Also run radio ads on local hip hop,
indie rock, or top 40 stations.
32 Assessing the Turnout Eects o Rock the Votes
2004 Television Commercials: A Randomized Field
Experiment, Donald Green and Lynn Vavreck.Annual Meeting o the Midwest Political Science
Association, April 2006.
33 Get Out the Vote, by Donald Green and Alan
Gerber. Pages 131-132. Brookings Institution Press,Washington, D.C. 2008.
online
While simply sending an email is not an
eective GOTV tactic (see below), there are
many ways the Internet can be part o an
eective youth GOTV strategy. Some tips on
how to do this:
Inormation: Where to vote and what to bring
is oten conusing or a new voter. Make sure
your website has all the basic inormation on
how to vote on Election Day polling loca-
tions, identication requirements, etc.
Building Lists: A 2006 coordinated
campaign creatively used social networks
to identiy new supporters: in 2006, the
Minnesota Democratic Farm Labor Party had
volunteers at 12 colleges and universities
compile lists o potential supporters (based
on prole inormation). The volunteers thenmatched those lists to campus directories
and went door-to-door to get students
registered. Later on, they did GOTV phone
calls and door-knocks.
Facebook Events: Create an event on
Facebook and other social networks or
Election Day. Invite your riends and make
sure to ask them to invite theirs. As more
people RSVP to the event their riends will
automatically be told about it, and you
may be able to create a peer-to-peer GOTV
strategy online.
goTV TaCTiCs
THaT donT Work
direCT mail
Used or get-out-the-vote purposes, direct
mail does not increase voter turnout among
young adults. In general, direct mail, especially
partisan mail, has a very minimal GOTV impact
on voters o any age.34
(Direct mail is, however, a cost-eective wayto register young people to vote. See previous
section.)
roboCalls
Get-out-the-vote robocalls do not increase
young voter turnout, nor do they have much
impact on turnout o voters o any age. 35 (High-
quality live phone calls, as noted above, do
have a signicant impact.)
34 Ibid, page 69.35 Ibid, pages 82-83.
Email is a useul way to communicate with
voters, but does not have a GOTV impact. You
can send an email to all the people on your list
reminding them to vote, but it doesnt actually
make them more likely to vote.36
(Do note however, that email can be useul
in disseminating voting inormation polling
place locators, election times, and ID
requirements in the days leading up to an
election.)
36 Does Email Boost Turnout? David Nickerson,Quarterly Journal o Political Science 2(4), 2007.
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16 17
The question o how to talk to young
voters is not that di erent than how
to talk to voters in general: talk to
them about your plans to tackle the
issues they care about, what youll
do or them and their communities
i elected, and ask or their votes.
However, young adults do viewissues, politics, and lie a little
dierently than their parents. Here
are some tips or how to relate:
Talk abouT releVanT issues
Rock the Votes most recent poll o 18-29 year
olds37 ound that the issues young voters
most want the next president to address are
jobs and the economy, Iraq, health care,
and education costs. Young adults also are
concerned about the environment and global
warming, immigration, and national security.
toP issues From Feb. 2008 Poll
By and large, young adults care about the
same issues that older voters do good news
or a campaign that doesnt want to have
multiple iss ue agendas. However, make sure to
talk about the issues in ways that are relevant.
For example, you probably dont want to ocus
on Social Security and Medicare when meeting
37 Rock the Vote 2008 February 2008 poll o 18-29year olds.
young voters, but talking to them about
your plans to make health care aordable,
accessible, and high-quality or young adults
will certainly get you attention.
reduCe THe rHeToriC
Partisanship is pass or young voters. They
want ideas and action, not attack ads and
soundbites. I you have an audience with
young voters whether thats at an event, via a
TV ad, or in an online setting take that time totalk to them about your plans and ask or their
votes. Dont waste time with party plati tudes or
opponent attacks.
be real
Young adults are just as smart as any group o
voters theres no need to try and be one o
the kids to get our attention and votes. Just be
yoursel.
TreaT THem WiTH respeCT
Yes, young voters are young, as the description
suggests. But they are adults and their votes
count just as much as anyone elses. Make
sure to avoid stereotyping the youth vote as
kids or irresponsible and apathetic (an
outdated notion, anyway), and not to all into
the trap o talking to young people as i they
are less worthy o respect than any other group
o voters.
JusT do iT
For three decades, there has been a cycle o
mutual neglect between young people and
politic ians. Youth turnout was low, and so
candidates didnt reach out to young people.
But young people saw that c andidates and
elected ocials didnt pay them any heed, and
so became less and less likely to vote.
That cycle o neglect is beginning to be broken
by young people voting and taking action
in record numbers and by candidates and
elected ocials engaging young people in
their campaigns and governing. Lets keep
that up its better or our democracy and its
a winning strategy or campaigns. So just do
it go nd your young voters (see the previous
section) and ask or their votes!
HoW To Talk To Young VoTers messaging THaT WorksThrough ocus groups, polling, and
work in the eld, Rock the Vote knows
what messaging works to motivate
young voters and what doesnt.
Here are the basic dos and donts o
communicating with young voters:
do
Talkabouttheissuesandberesults-oriented. Knowthatyouneedtoappealtoyoung
voters interests.
Reinforceempowerment-usepositive
language about young voter participation.
Uselanguagethatbuildsonyoungvoters
desire to have an impact on issues central to
their lives and to the lives o their riends and
amilies.
Givethemasensetheirvotescanmakea
dierence and will be counted.
Ask or their votes.
donT
Denigrateyoungpeopleforapathyorlow
voting rates. Not only is this not true anymore,
it can decrease turnout. Placeyoungpeopleinoppositiontoolder
people.
Assumethatyoungvotersknowthebasics
o registering and voting.
Thinkyoungvoterswillvotejustbecauseitis
the right thing to do.
Invokeanger.Theyrelookingforsolutions,
not complaints.
Forget to ask or their votes.
TWo examples of
messaging THaT Works38
Your vote can make a dierence or people
you care about. Vote or your brothers and
sisters who want to be able to go to college.
Vote or your riends who are in Iraq. Vote
or your children who will need clean air to
breathe and good schools to go to. Vote or
parents so they have social security benets
and Medicare when they retire. Dont just vote
or yourselvote or them.
In 2008, your voice will matter. As part o a new
generation o voters, 44 million strong, you have
the power to change politics in this country. Its
up to you to decide who the next president o
United States is. Its up to you to decide i and
when the war will end. Its up to you to decide i
everyone in this country should get healthcare
coverage. Its all up to you, so let your voice be
heard on Election Day.
38 From Rock the Vote ocus groups o 18-29 year
olds, conducted by Lake Research Partners andThe Tarrance Group in October 2007.
39 Rock the Vote makes available ull crosstabs o all
our polling, as well as our ocus group results and
actsheets on key demographic subgroups o theyouth vote. See www.RocktheVote.com.
messaging Tip #2:
Keep it real. Weve got B.S. meters installed
rom birth. Tell us the truth, tell us what
your plan is, and were good to go.
BOnUs Tip:
Keep in mind that these messaging tips
are or the general youth vote cohort.
But as noted earlier, Millennials are
very diverse and made up o many
dierent groups. Work with your sta
and volunteers and use Rock the
Votes polling on these subgroups39 and
other resources to crat messages that
motivate your target audiences.
messaging Tip #1:
Young people trust sources they view as
unbiased. Hold back on the rhetoric.
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Working THe YouTH VoTe Works Case sTudies
1918
In recent elections, several
campaigns have shown how
targeting young voters can lead to
electoral victory: 40
Jon Tester, U.S. Senate, Montana, 2006:
The Tester campaign
and Montana
Coordinated
Campaign ran a
strong eld eort thatincorporated youth
outreach. Volunteers
did registration,
persuasion and turnout with students by going
door-to-door, tabling, sponsoring big events, and
holding volunteer phone banks. In addition, the
campaign utilized Facebook and MySpace to
recruit or events and energize volunteers.
Joe Courtney,
U.S. House, 2006:
Joe Courtney won election
to Connecticuts secondcongressional district by 83
votes, and attributes that
victory to increased youth
turnout. During 2006, the
campaign worked with
existing groups to mobilize young volunteers
and voters. The young campaign sta recruited
and trained a bevy o volunteers to do door-to-
door registration and GOTV on campus, events
with Representative Courtney, and direct mail
and phone calls to non-college youth. Rep.
Courtney energized youth by engaging on
relevant issues, rom college costs to Iraq.
40 2006 case studies are excerpted rom Young Voter
Strategies Young Voter Mobili zation Tactics I I,2007.
Charlie Crist, Florida
Governor, 2006:
With an open gubernatorial
seat and a tight race, student
voters got more attention
this election in Florida
than in other recent races.
Governor Crist reached out on issues relevant
to young Floridians aordable housing,
higher education, and jobs and used online
networking via MySpace and Facebook.James Webb, U.S. Senate, Virginia 2006:
One o the closest races in 2006 was decided
in part by a huge surge in young voter
turnout. Campus rallies, online outreach, and
coordination with
existing groups
helped mobilize
young voters or the
Webb campaign in
2006. On MySpace,
the campaign used
viral marketing to
build a list o 2,000 riends and turn supporters
and volunteers out to events. Rallies at college
campuses drew large crowds and helped build
the Webb buzz among young voters.
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Caliornia Governor, 2006:
The Schwarzenegger campaign, along with
the state GOPs largest eld eort in years,
recruited large numbers o young volunteers
and mobilized young voters through the
Governors statewide bus tour in the all o
2006. College volunteers staed phone oces
across the state and the
bus tour registered voters
and recruited supporters
at Motocross races, at the
beach, and on college
campuses.
Young adults are voting. Whether or not you and yourcampaign reap the rewards is up to you.
We all know every vote can make the dierence in elections
In 2000, Republicans won Florida and the presidential election by 527
votes.
In 2006, Democrats won Virginia and control o the Senate by 9,329 votes.
and Winning Young Voters gives campaigns the tools to mobilize the 100,1,000, or 10,000 more votes needed
to win tight races to come.
I you take one thing away rom this
handbook, take the idea that you
can and must engage young adults
in your 2008 election to win.
But engaging young voters in your
campaigns can be about ar more
than winning 50 percent plus one.
Building a strong youth outreach program into your campaign can just be the
rst step in working with your younger constituents.
Young adults bring energy and new ideas to a campaign, and can bring the
same to your time in oce. This generation is energized and engaged and
deeply concerned about the top issues o the day ater all, theyre the voters
who are going to have the deal with them the longest.
Use this handbook or your 2008 campaign but moving orward, also think
about ways to capitalize on this generations energy once youre in oce.
Young adults are in this or the long haul and eager to work with their elected
leaders to take action on the issues they all care about.
Virginia: WOrKing
The yOUTh VOTe WOrKs
18-29 turnout 2002: 174,000
18-29 turnout 2006: 302,00018-29 turnout increase: 128,000
Margin o Victory: 9,329
mOnTana: WOrKing The
yOUTh VOTe WOrKs
18-29 turnout 2002: 30,000
18-29 turnout 2006: 65,000
18-29 turnout increase: 35,000
Margin o victory: 3,562
ConClusion:Winning Young VoTers in 2008 and beYond
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Rock the Votes mission is to build the
political clout and engagement o
young people in order to achieve
progressive change in our country.
Rock the Vote uses music, popular
culture and new technologies to
engage and incite young people to
register and vote in every election.
We give young people the tools to
identiy, learn about, and take action
on the issues that aect their lives, and leverage their power in
the political process.
Rock the Vote is creative, eective, and controlled
by nobodys agenda but our own we tell it like it
is and pride ourselves on being a trusted source
or inormation on politics. We empower the 44
million young people in America who want to step
up, claim their voice in the political process, and
change the way politics is done.
Founded in 1990 in response to a wave o
attacks on reedom o speech and artistic
expression, Rock the Vote has over the
past 18 years become a name ubiquitous
with youth political engagement.
abouT roCk THe VoTe Timeline1990-1993 - THe earlY Years: gen xs ro Ck THe VoTe
RTV launched our rst national campaign, Censorship is UnAmerican, with Iggy Pop, the Red Hot
Chili Peppers, and Woody Harrleson in 1990. And in 1991, with RTVs support , including PSAs and a
Dear Senator postcard campaign, Congress passes the National Voter Registration Act (Motor
Voter).
In 1992, RTV and our partner organizations registered 350,000 young people to vote.
1996-2002 - THe middle Years: rTV HiTs THe road and THe neT
During the 1996 election, RTV registered 500,000 voters, in large part through a partnership with
MTVs Choose or Lose campaign and our very rst online voter registration tool, NetVote 96.In 2000, RTV registered more than 500,000 voters online, launched a 1-800-ROCK-VOTE hotline, and
ran a 25-city bus tour with talent rom the The West Wing, Rah Digga, Outkast, and Hootie and The
Blowsh.
In 2002, RTV registered 200,000 people to vote and launched our Community Street Teams.
2004-2006 - THe reCenT Years: THe millennial generaTion roCks THe VoTe
In 2004, RTV ran a nationwide campaign, including our signature Rap the Vote and Chicks Rock,
Chicks Vote programs, and registered over 800,000 voters. On Election Day, RTV helped contribute
to a historic 4.3 million-vote surge in young voter turnout.
In 2006, RTV partnered with new media like Facebook and entered the Web 2.0 scene with a
bang. Registering more than 50,000 voters, RTV helped make 2006 another huge year or young
voters.
2008 - roCk THe VoTe TodaY
In 2008, Rock the Vote will register two million 18-29 year olds and work to increase young voter
turnout or the third major election in a row. Well ocus our eorts on young Hispanics, Arican
Americans, and women.
Well hold concerts, run PSAs, and reach out to young voters with our Artist Advisory Council
including Christina Aguilera, Josh Groban, Juanez, Souljah Boy, and Against Me.We launched our best online voter registration tool yet, well use Facebook, MySpace, and new
media tools like text messaging and online organizing, and well run grassroots eorts around the
country.
And much, much more
From street teams to entertainment partnerships to innovative online eorts, Rock the Vote is a leader
in the movement to make young people a more permanent part o the American political process.
In 2008, well build on that and bring the power o the Millennial Generation to bear in American
politics.
20
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13/13
1505 22 steet nWWhigto, d.C. 20037
202-719-9910 (phoe)202-719-9952 ( fax)
www.rockTheVote.com
Winning Young Voters was made possible by
generous support from The Pew Charitable Trusts,
Carnegie Corporation of New York, The George
Washington Universitys Graduate School of Political
Management, and Peter B. and Jonathan D. Lewis.
The statements made and views expressed
are solely the responsibility of the author.