2. The recruiting and empowerment of American youth to register, volunteer, vote, and remain politically active. Young adults between the ages of 18-24

3.  In 2000, 36% of American Youth voted  In 2004, 47% of American Youth voted  For the primaries and caucuses of 2008, 6.5 million Americans under 30 voted at the polls.  Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement

4. The American Youth increase in registration and voting can be attributed to:  Investments in voting programs  Partisan and non-partisan groups  CIRCLE: Over $40 million in 2004  Personal Political Empowerment  Genuine Opportunity  Remodeling of political treatment

5.  Government  Armed Services voting assistance  Social/Political  Young Democrats of America  Young Republican National Federation  Rock the Vote  Campaign Efforts to reach youth (McCain, Obama)  Ethnic  SAAVY (South Asian American Voting Youth)  Black Youth Vote (The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation)  Native Vote (National Congress of American Indians)

6.  American Youth given renewed appreciation  Easier access to information on political issues  Language Reconstruction  Given the support to:  Be involved in Election  Become educated on political issues  Volunteer  Remain active in political activities

7.  Interpersonal  Relevancy of interest  Genuine Opportunity  Peer to Peer  Chain Reaction  “Grassroots”  Encouraging recruitment  Variety of Mediums

8.  Registering  Volunteer/Support  VOTE  Continued Activity

10.  Started in Los Angeles in 1990  A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded “to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country”  Combined with 15 non-partisan groups in 2006  Combined with Youth Voter Strategies in 2007  Worked with CNN, Rolling Stone, AT&T, and Bothervoting.org

11.  Outcomes:  Helped to provided registration to over 2.3 million American citizens  Provided immeasurable amounts of information and materials for Youth to pass on  Projections for Youth voter turnout have been skeptical. Rock the Vote disagrees.  Rock the Vote prides themselves in registering voters.

12.  Criticism  Financial troubles  Reconstruction by Hans Riemer  Mocking the Draft  Letter from the RNC  Non-partisan?  Fred Goldring and “Yes We Can” music video  Liberal Publications  Partnering with MTV

13. CIRCLE: http://www.civicyouth.org/http://www.civicyouth.org/ Connelly, Michael. “Rock the Vote and Young Voter Strategies Merge”. Future Majority. August 9, 2007. http://futuremajority.com/node/623http://futuremajority.com/node/623 “GOP Pressures Rock the Vote to Stop Talking about the Draft”. October 19, 2004. http://www.democracynow.org/2004/10/19/gop_pressures_rock_the_vote_to Scribe Video Center. Why Vote? Car Poll Election 2008. Photograph, 2008. http://www.flickr.com/photos/16439531@N02/2505718206/ Huso, Deborah. “How to… Increase the Youth Vote.” August 27, 2008. http://www.generationengage.org/youthtoday08-27-08.html “Obama and the Youth Vote”. Five Thirty Eight. August 10, 2008. http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/08/youth-vote-yes-he-can.html Pisacik, Chris. AIGA “Get Out the Vote”. Poster Design, 2008. http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrispiascik/2457588128/.http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrispiascik/2457588128/ Rock the Vote: http://www.rockthevote.org/http://www.rockthevote.org/