Young Voter Alliance

Mission Statement

Our 5 target battleground states have a combined, 18-35-year-old voting population of over 9 million. With tried and true field techniques (e.g. door-to-door) and non-traditional voter contact methods (e.g. issue-based teach-ins and voter guides), the goal is to increase new voters by at least 3%, enough to have swung the close presidential election in 2000. In addition to increasing the number of young progressive voters, the sustainable, long term goal is to create a New Voter Model that is a hybrid of community organizing/nontraditional mobilization techniques and traditional campaign/conventional Get-Out-the-Vote field techniques. Both techniques have been proven to increase turnout among young voters and now, for the first time, they will work in tandem to make young voters the decisive piece of the progressive electorate. The young people that pioneered successful models aimed at young voters are national staff members of the Alliance. The New Voter Model is critical because traditional field techniques on their own have failed to address the anti-voting culture among young people. The New Voter Model will incorporate multiple peer-to-peer contacts, use a local face and a local message, and bring a sense of national momentum and connect voting to the issues that young people care about. The New Voter Model encourages niche groups to participate in electoral politics, and at the same time empowers them to reach their constituency in ways that honor their individuality and strengthens their role in their communities for long-term sustainability. A team of evaluators will measure the impact of the 2004 Alliance voter contact program and the final report will provide the basis for the New Voter Model. The final report will be available to all donors and partners of the Alliance and will be showcased in a collaborative and interactive dialogue session in 2005.