New York Group Launches $9 Million Youth Voter Drive

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: HuffPost

Nov 13, 2023, 05:45 AM EST


Organize New York, a new, nonpartisan initiative created by a liberal group, plans to spend $9 million registering and mobilizing young voters in New York ahead of federal elections in 2024 in which the Empire State stands to play a major role.

Although the organizing drive is nonpartisan and will not involve campaigning for specific candidates or parties, the Democratic group End Citizens United is funding and running the initiative through its advocacy arm, the End Citizens United/Let America Vote Action Fund. Polling data consistently shows that the youngest voters in the country generally lean liberal in their views, but do not vote in high numbers.

The group will also be focusing its efforts exclusively on New York’s six battleground House seats in central New York, the Hudson Valley and Long Island. Those seats, all of which President Joe Biden carried in 2020, are New York’s 3rd, 4th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 22nd congressional districts.

“New York is the center of the political universe. We have more swing districts than any other state,” said former Rep. Max Rose (D-N.Y.), a senior advisor to Organize New York. “The days of elected officials being able to take this for granted are far gone.” Organize New York plans to use its funds to employ field organizers, as well as finance digital advertisements and direct-mail items.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/organize-new-york-voter-registration-drive_n_655152eee4b0c9f24660af8b

[Think. Again.]

1. I hope this effort spreads...

...the younger vote is huge.

[sadasfyed]

2. Finally

A good direction

[TheJillMill]

3. Advantageous Position

I'm a 72-year-old 30-year adjunct associate English professor (thank you Union for the official title) who gets to hang out a good part of the week with 18 and 19-year-old students and some even feel inspired to take my other classes, so I feel I have some influence among youth. I will connect with this New York voter project and get something started for community college students in the Southern Tier/Finger Lakes Region of New York. Last week a student stayed and asked me to talk to him about two issues on his mind. One was (it was Election Day) if he could just vote that day after I encouraged students to do so if they could. I asked if he was registered and he looked at me blankly. I connected him with the link to register online with his New York State ID and realized I just helped create another voter (not to mention disseminated the education needed among youth). I had a very frank discussion with him about democracy v. fascism. Now is the time to get people registered and excited. I tell them to register and practice voting early on, for the school boards in May or any election that comes up. Other than Ithaca in our region, upstate New York is red as can be.

[KS Toronado]

4. Every State needs a plan to get younger people to vote.

Start with the College towns.

[electric_blue68]

5. Maybe an extra good side effect will be some of those encouraged will talk to friends in other States.

Anywhere where we can garner more Dem Voters!

I remember being so excited in the first wave year of 18 yr voters in '71 since I was one of them!

I admit I was only disappointed that my first vote may have been a off, off year. Would have been cool to have had a Presidential year as my first.

However it was McGovern who I liked, and well, many of you remember.
😨😭

In fact since I had done volunteer work for several candidates from '68 onward - that blow turned me away from campaigning for candidates (never stopped voting) until either Bill Clinton's or Mayor Dinkins campaign. Which ever came first.
What I did was switch to various single issues in those in between years. 👍