winning young voters

8/3/2019 Winning Young Voters

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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


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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


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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


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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)


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.


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.


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


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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


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


8/13

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.


9/13

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

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.


10/13

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.


11/13

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


12/13

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


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.

winning young voters

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