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Alliance for Youth Organizing Announces $1.15M Voter Education Mail Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 25, 2020

PRESS CONTACT:
Carmel Pryor

press@allianceforyouthorganizing.org

WASHINGTON – The Alliance for Youth Organizing (The Alliance) is announcing a $1.15 million, multi piece voter education mail program in five states aimed at increasing youth turnout this November.

The Alliance is sending nearly 2.8 million pieces of mail to 1.6 million young people in Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, providing them information on how to request a mail ballot, vote early in-person, or vote on Election Day.

In September, two pieces of mail went to a universe of nearly 700,000 registered 18-25 year olds in Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania1. These voters have TargetSmart turnout scores between 40 and 90 or registered in 2020. Additionally, non-white voters have TargetSmart ideology scores scores 40 or higher while white women have TargetSmart ideology scores 55 or higher and white men have TargetSmart ideology scores 65 or higher.

For a third piece scheduled to reach voters in the middle of October, the universe was expanded to include an additional 410,000 registered 18-39 year olds in certain counties in Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. These voters have TargetSmart turnout scores between 0 and 60 or registered in 2020. Additionally, non-white voters have TargetSmart ideology scores scores 40 or higher while white women have TargetSmart ideology scores 55 or higher.

An additional expansion of this program will see one piece of mail sent to a universe of 540,000 Gen Z and Millennial voters in Mississippi and South Carolina. In Mississippi, the universe consists of all registered, non-white 18-39 year olds and registered white 18-39 year olds with TargetSmart ideology scores 55 or higher. In South Carolina, the universe consists of registered 18-39 year olds with TargetSmart turnout scores between 0 and 60 or registered in 2020. Additionally, non-white voters have TargetSmart ideology scores scores 40 or higher while white women have TargetSmart ideology scores 55 or higher.

“Young people frequently encounter barriers when trying to vote. In the midst of a pandemic, voting has been made even more difficult. This program is our attempt to ensure young people in these states have the information to cast a ballot and participate in our democracy, “ said Dawn Boudwin, Deputy Executive Director of Network Strategy at the Alliance. 

All pieces in this program can be viewed here.

The Alliance for Youth Organizing grows progressive people power across America by empowering local young people’s organizations to strengthen our democracy, fix our economy, and correct injustices through on-the-ground organizing. The Alliance founded National Voter Registration Day, which has registered over 3 million people to vote since 2012.

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1 GA: Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton, Gwinnett; NC: Cabarrus, Cumberland, Forsyth, Guilford, Harnett, Hoke, Mecklenburg, Moore, Robeson, Stanly, Union, Wake; PA: Allegheny, Beaver, Bucks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Pike, Union, York

Request for Proposals: Grant Writing

PDF of posting here

RFP Posted: April 2, 2020

Responses Due:  Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis and those submitted by April 30, 2020 will be given priority.  Please reach out with questions.

Submit proposals via email to scarlett@allianceforyouthorganizing.org with subject line “Grant Writing Proposal”
Send any questions to: scarlett@allianceforyouthorganizing.org

Timing: Hours on contracted work will fluctuate as necessary.

Budget: Up for discussion. We’re open to a set monthly rate or set up hourly/daily billing with a  $50,000 cap on billing for the contract.

Location: Remote. 

OVERVIEW

The Alliance for Youth Organizing (and our sister 501c4 organization the Alliance for Youth Action), a youth-driven social justice-loving national non-profit, requests proposals for an experienced grant writer to provide grant writing and reporting services and proposal/application support to the organization as an independent contractor.

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

The Alliance for Youth Organizing and its sister organization the Alliance for Youth Action are youth-driven nonprofit networks that support state based organizations all over the country in their grassroots organizing and advocacy work. 

The Alliance convenes, supports, and scales a national network of youth-led, locally rooted organizations growing civic engagement and social justice coast to coast. We truly are a multiracial network “of young people, by young people, for all people.” Our Affiliates and Partners run massive voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, train new young leaders, and run powerful campaigns to win on the progressive issues our generation cares about most. Our national team empowers this work by tracking down national resources for the network, building capacity for local groups, seeding new efforts, and coordinating national issue campaigns.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Alliance for Youth Organizing and the Alliance for Youth Action have grown considerably in recent years. In both FY 2018 and 2019, we nearly doubled our budget and revenue from prior years bringing in over $4-6 million each year. In 2020, a historic election year in which the youth vote will be critical to deciding our country’s future, we are working to raise towards our largest budget and program yet. This consultant will add crucial grant writing capacity to the Alliance’s already strong development team. The Alliance’s growing development portfolio primarily consists of grants from private charitable foundations and family foundations, as well as some major individual and corporate contributions. 

The contracted work will include grant proposal/application writing for renewals of our existing grants, proposal development for new sources of funding, and grant report development. These responsibilities include:

Preparation. The Alliance Development Team will delegate grant RFPs and renewal applications as we receive them. Once a grant opportunity is identified, it will be the responsibility of the selected consultant to provide an estimated number of hours required for grant application preparation as well as preparing a timeline and chart of tasks for each grant.

Grant Writing. The selected consultant will be responsible for writing all sections of grant applications. The Alliance Development Team will collect and provide all the necessary information for inclusion in each grant application. Provided materials include, but are not limited to, an up-to-date general proposal, Alliance grant language repository, and examples of previous successful grant applications. 

Grant Preparation. Compile all required attachments for grant applications and prepare the grant to be ready for submission (i.e. proofreading, copyediting) in a timely manner.

Grant Reporting. Work with Alliance Development Team to identify grant reporting requirements to complete and submit reports with all required attachments on behalf of the Alliance in a timely manner. The Alliance Development Team will collect and provide all the necessary information for grant reporting, including but not limited to, an up-to-date general report, Alliance grant language repository, and financial attachments. 

In addition, we expect the selected consultant to:

Maintain consistent and clear communication with the Development Team about all grant requirements and deadlines.

Update and maintain grant templates and materials.

Keep professional and confidential management of grant records, organizational documents, and data.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

Proven grant writing experience required. Three (3) years of experience preferred.

Excellent interpersonal communication skills. Ability to work cooperatively with the Alliance Development Team and organizational leadership to prepare grants.

Track record of working with diverse stakeholders, a desire to lift up leadership of young people of color, and a personal understanding and commitment to social justice and equity.

Previous experience working in the national philanthropic landscape is preferred.

Previous personal or professional experiences in youth organizing or political campaigns is a plus. 

PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR PROPOSAL:

Overview of your practice (organization, company, independent work, etc.), including a brief introduction to you/your team

Resume detailing your experience in writing and submitting grants (private foundation, corporate, government, etc.)

Overview of how you would approach addressing the needs outlined in this RFP

A minimum of one (1) excerpt from a successful grant written by the applicant that is representative of their writing style. The excerpt should not exceed 5 pages and should not contain any confidential or proprietary information

Proposed budget 

A minimum of two (2) references from clients where the applicant has successfully performed similar work 

Legislative Round-Up Part 2: Championing Progressive Policy

We’re back with more legislative victories from the field and the work just keeps on getting better. Alliance organizations mobilized young people and elected officials alike to pass some of the most progressive and innovative policies of 2019. Here’s how they did it:

Chicago Votes: A Progressive Powerhouse in Illinois

Chicago Votes has become a powerhouse of progressive policy. This session, two of the bills they helped draft and lead on passed the Illinois legislature! The first bill, Civics in Prison, allows non-partisan civic organizations to train incarcerated citizens to provide civics education to re-entering citizens. The second bill, Voting in Jail, would increase access to the ballot and civic knowledge for those in pre-trial detention at Cook County Jail where 99% of people are eligible to vote but most do not know they can. Chicago Votes is blazing a trail for brand new, innovative policies that fill the gaps in our democracy and ensure that our voting system works for all.

And if all this was not enough, Chicago Votes also lobbied to pass Cannabis Equity in the legislature. This bill legalizes cannabis usage, expunges convictions, releases people incarcerated for marijuana charges, provides employment opportunities for those wrongly convicted, and uses cannabis revenue for investment in impacted communities. Chicago FTW!

MOVE Texas: Protecting Democracy for all Texans

We all know MOVE Texas can throw down for democracy and this legislative session, they did not disappoint. Republican state legislators tried to pass SB9 –  a voter suppression bill masked as an effort to make state elections more “secure. This legislation would have created barriers to voting for portions of the population like people with disabilities, senior citizens, and those making unintentional innocent voting mistakes. MOVE Texas was not having it. After packed press conferences, lobby days, passionate testimonies, and countless phone calls, SB9 died. Don’t mistake the status quo for lack of progress. Fighting dangerous voter suppression efforts like this one is a major victory for Texas voters and our democracy.

Oregon Bus Project: Ensuring Every Mailbox is a Drop Box

The Bus Project has always been at the forefront of some of the most pro-voter policies in the nation like Automatic Voter Registration. Now, they are determined on turning every mailbox into a drop box by leading the charge on legislation to provide paid postage for all mail ballots. From lobbying to calling, Bus Project organizers and volunteers have spent this legislative session encouraging their legislators to increase access to the ballot for all Oregonians.

In addition to leading this initiative, the Bus Project also joined efforts to help pass the Driver’s Licenses for All bill allowing any Oregonian, regardless of legal status, to apply for a driver’s license.

The Washington Bus: Bringing Youth Voices to the Legislative Table

Oregon is not the only state pursuing paid postage. The Washington Bus has spent the last three years as part of the Steering Committee for the Washington Voting Justice Coalition shaping legislation to ensure all mail ballots in the state have paid postage. After bringing young people to hearings advocating for the pro-voter reform, paid postage passed!

The Washington Bus also supported legislation providing funding to education including K-12, higher education, and services for homeless and low-income children. They organized a letter writing campaign so young people could let their Senators know the importance of funding higher education and participated in the 2019 Advocacy Day for Youth Development and Expanded Learning Opportunities.

Leaders Igniting Transformation: Stopping the School to Prison Pipeline

In Wisconsin, Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT) is building a brighter future for black and brown youth – especially in their schools. In May, they hosted a lobby day bringing 75 young people to Madison to demand better funding for public schools, an end to the criminalization of black and brown kids, and better school lunches.

LIT also worked in coalition with allies to introduce a series of pro-voter reform bills including Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) and student IDs as voter IDs. They then put the pressure on Governor Evers to keep his promise on making AVR a reality resulting in him producing an Executive Order on AVR.

New Hampshire Youth Movement: Protecting the Student Vote

New Hampshire Youth Movement has been waging a constant battle for student voting rights. Recently, they held a sit-in demanding Governor Sununu sign HB106 which would remove the residency requirement for students to vote. Even presidential candidates are taking notice of the barriers New Hampshire has put up preventing many students from taking part in our democracy. We are grateful to organizations like New Hampshire Youth Movement who fight hard to ensure young people have full access to the ballot.

Alliance organizations didn’t come to play. They are advocating for bold policies while stopping dangerous ones. This awesome work is a testament to what can happen when young people demand a seat at the table.

Legislative Round-Up Part 1: Makin’ and Shapin’ Policy

As legislative sessions begin to wrap up in many states, our affiliates have a lot to celebrate. From passing innovative legislation to demystifying the legislative process, Alliance organizations have done what they do best, center young people’s voices so that our laws better reflect our values. Check out the latest and greatest from our crews:

New Era Colorado

Paying back student loans can be confusing and intimidating. That process just got a whole lot easier  in Colorado thanks to New Era. New Era ended the legislative session with a bang as their bill, the Student Loan Servicer Accountability Act, passed and was signed into law! This law requires student loan servicers to make the repayment process fair and transparent for borrowers. This law would also create a permanent watchdog in the Colorado Attorney General’s office whose job is to protect student borrowers and investigate claims against student loan servicers. New Era rallied young people to submit over 1,500 comment cards, make hundreds of calls to legislators, and share testimonies to pass this crucial legislation.

In addition, New Era threw down for democracy reform. They helped pass two pieces of legislation to expand voting access in Colorado. New Era supported the Colorado Votes Act which adds in-person polling centers and drop boxes at most universities and community colleges. It also allows 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they turn 18 by the general election. New Era also sent young people to testify in support of legislation that simplifies and expands the current Automatic Voter Registration system to reach more people. Congrats, New Era!

Forward Montana

Understanding the ins and outs of your state’s legislature can be a struggle and feel inaccessible at times, so Forward Montana was on a mission this year to change that with their weekly legislative newsletter, “What the Helena.” Each week, they explained key legislation moving through the legislature and how young people could take action, which they did! Forward Montana mobilized young people to call their legislators, share their personal stories, and show up at the Capitol to urge legislators to pass important legislation like Medicaid Expansion and student debt assistance for young farmers and ranchers. You go, Forward Montana!

Georgia Shift

Georgia Shift was spilling all the tea about what goes on at the Capitol. From their weekly newsletters called “Gold Dome Tea” to their Instagram TV Channel “Tea Time With Brian”,Georgia Shift kept young people up to date on all the piping hot issues in the state legislature. In addition to keeping folks informed, Georgia Shift hosted “Mujeres Day at the Capitol: Georgia Advocacy Day for Women” and “Do or Die: Young People’s Day of Change” to ensure state legislators listen directly to young people about the issues they care about most.

And now for some exciting news from the Alliance national team…

We are excited to introduce our brand new Senior Director of Communications, Carmel Pryor! Carmel is a creative social advocate and communications strategist with over 10 years’ experience in the civic sector. From her time at Metro TeenAIDS designing social marketing campaigns to combat HIV among youth in DC to creating digital media tools to help refugees resettle in the U.S. with the International Rescue Committee, she has dedicated her career to ensuring people’s stories are told and marginalized communities are given the tools to create their own agency.

In this role, Carmel will lead the Alliance’s comprehensive communications strategy, lift up the bold work of young people nationwide through storytelling, and work with the Alliance’s incredible network to build communications capacity and strategy. Now, with Carmel and Daniela, the Alliance has a rockin’ Communications Team!

Stay tuned for more legislative updates from the Alliance network. And make sure to check out our Weekly Round-Ups on Instagram every Friday to catch the latest events and actions from the field.

Springing forward into local elections (plus exciting news from our national team!)

Spring has officially sprung, local elections are in full swing, and the hustle to turn out young voters is stronger than ever. 2019 is full of local elections and our network is making sure young people’s voices are heard in every race. Here are the latest updates from Alliance affiliates turning out the vote:

(And make sure to read to the end for some exciting updates from our national team!)

Chicago Votes hit the ground running in February by hosting their first ever Youth Voice Mayoral Forum where young people from 10 high schools asked candidates questions about gentrification, incarceration, youth employment, and more. Candidates also had the option to rebut using emoji cards! Following the forum, Chicago Votes took students on a parade to the polls to cast their ballots for Mayor.They also created a voter guide to inform the community about the candidates in the April 2nd run-off. Not to mention they just wrapped their absentee ballot chase program in the CCJ to ensure people in pre-trial detention were able to vote.

Leaders Igniting Transformation is helping young voters stay informed and excited ahead of local elections on April 2nd where people will be voting for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Milwaukee School Board. They hosted two major events to get voters energized and meet the candidates including the “Black and Brown Get Down” and “Ballot Bash”—Milwaukee’s largest civic engagement event for young people. This week, they got almost every candidate running for the Milwaukee School Board to sign on to their Youth Power Agenda, advocating to remove officers from schools, create an inclusive school code, and more – all while knocking on 30,000 doors and running the largest digital GOTV program in the state!

MOVE Texas is gearing up for the San Antonio election on May 4th by hosting a “San Antonio Night Live” event where young people learn about the mayoral and city council candidates in a setting that breaks down the formal barriers of traditional candidate forums (there is a talent show portion!). Outside of candidate engagement, field organizers have registered over 3,300 voters in 2019 alone and are planning to run a voter guide program to educate young voters in San Antonio as well as Dallas for their local elections.  

From Chicago to San Antonio, we are seeing some epic hustle from our network to ensure young people are registered, educated, and turning out in every race ahead of 2020.

Now for some exciting news from the Alliance family!

Our team just got a little bit bigger! We are excited to welcome the Alliance’s new Issue Campaigns Director, Gary Decker. Gary joins us after working for the last six years at a non-profit consulting firm leading organizational strategy development initiatives and facilitating public policy dialogues related to climate change and sustainable economies and industries. Gary is an expert in building coalitions, developing and executing impactful strategy, and engaging with young people to take the lead on critical issues.

In his new role, Gary will be leading our issue campaign work and supporting our network on our Democracy Done Right campaign. He will also represent the Alliance in voting rights coalition spaces to ensure the voices of young people and our network are well represented. In his free time Gary plays and watches more soccer than he would care to admit and enjoys a nice cocktail as well as stand-up comedy. Please join us in welcoming Gary to the team!

Last, we have an exciting update about one of our current staff members. Daniela Mrabti joined the Alliance (then Bus Federation) in 2016 and has grown with the organization through a cross-country move, name change, and more. She has worked on everything from National Voter Registration Day to managing our conference. After honing her skills in digital communications for the past couple of years, we are excited to announce Daniela is transitioning into a new role at the Alliance – our Communications Manager! Daniela will be working closely with our future Senior Director of Communications to build out the Alliance’s communications department and help tell the story of our network. Congrats, Daniela!

Stay tuned for more updates from our network. For now, cheers to local elections and a growing staff!

The results are in: 2018 was a HUGE year for the Alliance network

2018 was one of our Biggest. Years. Yet. We expanded our network to nearly 20 states, championed progressive policies to increase access to the ballot and make college more affordable, dominated the midterm elections crushing youth turnout records, sent over $2 million directly to local field organizing, and so much more.

But don’t take our word for it. Check out our brand new 2018 Annual Report! From program to pushing resources to the field, read about how the Alliance is growing and building a network of young people, by young people, for all people.

None of this work would be possible without the incredible support of folks like you. Thank you for supporting the Alliance and our vision to build young people’s political power coast to coast.

Cheers to a successful 2018 and hello to 2019 and beyond.

Building for 2020 starts now.

You saw the numbers. Young people made history on Election Day. From voter registration numbers that looked more like a presidential year than a midterm to record breaking turnout not seen in over 25 years, young people turned up and turned out this year.

Our network is committed to building young people’s political power, and voting is just one of the tools in our toolbox to build the future we all deserve. Right now, organizations in our network are building issue advocacy campaign plans targeting city councils, state legislatures, and Congress. And of course, they’re back out registering voters.

But our eyes are also on 2020. Over the next year, we will build upon the incredible successes of 2018 to throw down in 2020 and beyond.

This means we are going to:

  • Push candidates to champion the issues young people care about most. From free college to immigration reform, housing to climate change, abortion access to gun violence prevention, voting rights (especially after this year) to criminal justice reform and more. 

  • Demand that anyone running for office in 2020 fights for young people’s votes instead of just expecting young people to fall in line.

  • Build the largest network in our history! We’ll be in more states with bigger program that starts in the primary so that young people are the ones who decide who ends up on the November 2020 ballot.

That work starts today. Watch to learn more.

Feeling inspired? Great, because we’re gonna need you to stick with us. We’ve seen our opposition try and tear our communities apart, limit our access to the ballot, and try to ignore our demands. But through all of that, we’ve seen the resilience of the next generation as they create the world they deserve, full of love, joy, and justice. Will you join us in supporting that vision?

Election Day Victories from the Alliance Network

Wow! This has been an incredible election cycle. Young people led record breaking change across the country. In fact, according to exit poll analysis just released by CIRCLE, there was a ten point increase in youth turnout from 2014 to 2018. 31% of young people voted this election! And the organizations in our network – dedicated to building young, local, grassroots power- were the fire behind so much of that change. Here are some exciting updates from a few of our crews:

In Wisconsin, Leaders Igniting Transformation, an organization that is only ten months old, has contributed to rebuilding the progressive infrastructure in their state in a big way. This year they were able to knock 30,000 GOTV doors and send 50,000 GOTV texts! Statewide, 35% of young people turned out and booted Scott Walker and in LIT’s backyard, the Milwaukee City Council will be majority people of color for the first time ever. All of LIT’s hard work helped make these victories possible.

Forward Montana worked tirelessly to engage young people up and down the ballot. Exit poll data shows that young people supported Senator Jon Tester by a 40-point margin, and we just found out that he won re-election. But that’s not all, Forward Montana helped get the 6-Mill Levy over the finish line to keep public investment in higher education. For Forward Montana, their election work continues as there are local undecided races that they are keeping an eye on.

Colorado elected the nation’s first openly gay Governor (Jared Polis), flipped a Congressional House seat, and flipped the state Senate – all victories that New Era Colorado helped realize. In 2010, just four years after New Era was founded, 18-24 year old turnout was 24%. This year, it was 45%. And last night, New Era alumni were elected to Boulder County Clerk (Molly Fitzpatrick),the Colorado state House (Leslie Herod was re-elected), and CONGRESS (Joe Neguse)!

Down in Florida, Engage Miami contributed to the Amendment 4 victory, which will restore the right to vote to 1.5 million Floridians. Their Miami Dade turf saw a 15% increase in turnout from 2014 and two U.S. House seats were flipped (FL-26 and FL-27). Engage registered 1,684 voters at Florida International University (FIU) in FL-26, and helped turn out more than 7,704 voters during early vote. The district was won by 4,079 votes.

In Chicago, the team at Chicago Votes worked to mobilize the generation, resulting in young Chicagoans outperforming all other generations on Election Day for the first. time. ever. And the Chicago Votes crew worked in partnership with other local organizations to win a measure to add a free mental health clinic to one of their target neighborhoods!

Finally,  in Texas, we’re celebrating truly incredible increases in youth turnout. We’re talking an over 500% turnout increase during early vote and promising early signals based on exit poll data. MOVE Texas has been a key player in developing that statewide infrastructure – and our team was honored to organize alongside them during GOTV to witness their impact across San Antonio.

These are just a few of the incredible victories that our network contributed to. We’ll be rolling out more victories as folks have a chance to comb through their data and most importantly – rest.

What’s next? Flexing the power that was built throughout this cycle. For our network, voting is just one of the tools we use to fight for change. We will continue to organize on the issues young people in their communities care about at the local, state, and federal level. And the election hustle doesn’t stop – we’ve got our eyes on local races coming up in the Spring.

More to come!

We’re celebrating our network before Election Day! Join us!

Dear friends,

We can’t believe it’s finally here! As we enter the final hours before E-Day, we want to make sure y’all go into November 6th excited by the work young people have led across the country this year. Check out some of the organizers leading the work and share this video with your friends!

Fourteen organizations in the Alliance for Youth Action network have registered 135,120 young voters (and we’re still adding up our other partner totals)! They’ve distributed 1,075,000 voter guides, made hundreds of thousands texts and calls, knocked tens of thousands of doors, hosted over one hundred parades to and parties at the polls, and we are still counting.

These numbers are just a part of the story. Here are some highlights that make us so, so proud:

MOVE Texas now has boots on the ground in key cities across the state including San Antonio, San Marcos, Seguin, Laredo, and Austin. They held 20 parties at the polls during early vote, with two more scheduled for Election Day! They worked in partnership to extend the early vote polling site at Texas State, which resulted in 3,000 votes cast! They registered 17,000 of the 27,000 new voters in Bexar County and are making a huge contribution to youth voter turnout records across the state.

The Ohio Student Association hit the ground running last November when they hustled with in-state partners to get Issue 1, a groundbreaking criminal justice reform measure, on the ballot by collecting over 730,000 signatures from voters in every county. Since then, they’ve worked with the Midwest Culture Lab and local organizers to train artists and creatives on how to engage young Ohioans around Issue 1 using cultural organizing tactics. Not to mention, they’ve registered over 30,000 voters, sent hundreds of thousands of texts, and knocked tens of thousands of doors across the state.

Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT), in Milwaukee, ran their first Black Hogwarts program — a summer leadership institute where they trained the next generation of young organizers of color. And the results were awesome. Milwaukee had a 33% increase in voter turnout during the primary in communities they organize. Since then, they’ve knocked thousands of doors and collected just as many pledge to vote cards all while reaching hundreds of thousands of young people on social media. LIT is truly a leader in building much needed capacity for young folks of color in Milwaukee.

Georgia Shift has spent the last year and a half building power with young voters in Augusta and pushing candidates on the issues – including the high cost of college, racial justice, and LGBTQ rights. During the past few weeks of early vote, they’ve been mobilizing students to the polls and contributed to a record breaking 379% young voter turnout increase in Augusta!

New Era Colorado ran a massive program this year on over 20 campuses in 12 counties. They’ve registered over 40,000 voters this cycle and are doing the work to re-engage the young people they’ve registered since 2014 to ensure they’re turning out this year! That’s not all – keep an eye out for NEC alumni on the ballot! After tomorrow, NEC could have alumni serving on every level of government.

Chicago Votes has spent the last year running part of their voter engagement program at Cook County jails where they registered over 3,000 voters and ran an absentee ballot chase program in the jails. They organized to have the nation’s first jail-based polling place in the Cook County jail in the primary and are advocating to take it statewide! But that’s not all! They’ve been leading parades to the polls with hundreds of high school students all throughout early voting. Chicago Votes is also working with local artists and creatives to curate more spaces for young people in Chicago to show up and speak for themselves this midterm election cycle.

Forward Montana has been speaking truth to power by voicing the issues young Montanans care about most directly to candidates. From hosting candidate forums across the state, fighting to save state investment in higher education, and *of course* bringing out the vote goats, Forward Montana has been doing it up big all year. ICYMI – in Montana, the youth vote at this time in 2014 accounted for 8% of the vote share. This year it’s 15%.

Engage Miami has spent the cycle holding it down at Miami Dade College campuses where the most early vote ballots have been casted at any institution of higher learning in the state. From working in partnership to add two additional polling places on MDC campuses, to running an amazing campaign called “Secure the Vote” which seeks to engage young voters in the midterms through voter education and organizing around Amendment 4 to enfranchise voters with felony records, to organizing neighborhood block parties to mobilize young people to the polls. Engage Miami has been working hard and building up communities across the 305.

Minnesota Youth Collective, a one year old organization, has registered over 7,000 new voters and collected more than 15,000 pledge to vote cards to date. They are on 5 campuses, had an amazing fellowship program, and scaled up to a staff of 30 people, which has been crucial in filling a much-needed gap in the state’s organizing infrastructure this cycle. They even got creative during GOTV and hosted a drag show and brunch to encourage young people to vote early! You can find MNYC in dorms and on the doors turning out their peers!

The Washington Bus has been mobilizing for progressive candidates and ballot measures in the most Washington Bus way possible – with themed phone and text banks! From Game of Thrones to Harry Potter, the WA Bus continues to make these tactics fun for their community. Outside of electoral work, they’re fighting for free college in Seattle.

Since the Spring, the Oregon Bus has been working with high school students to mobilize their communities on the importance of gun violence prevention. They’ve grown their high school engagement program to meet demand and now have high school students on their board. This fall, they have been organizing on the issues at the ballot box – including fighting against awful ballot measures on reproductive health care and immigration.

Poder in Action continues to build power with communities of color in Phoenix. This year, they collected over 10,000 in-depth community surveys to better engage voters ahead of this year’s election. In the past 2 weeks, they’ve knocked over 20,000 doors in Phoenix. Poder has their eyes on the prize this year and are engaging and organizing their communities to win!

Michigan Student Power Network has hosted over 45 trainings for youth activists across the state this year. On Election Day, they will host parties and voting information booths on campuses across the state to make sure students have the information they need to vote and enjoy themselves while doing so!

Pennsylvania Student Power Network has scaled their work to reach over 20 campuses across the state. They ran an amazing College for All campaign and since then multiple candidates running for office this year, including Lt. Gov Candidate John Fetterman, have endorsed their College for All platform. On Election Day, they’ll host 23 parties at the polls on campuses across the state!

These are just some of the groups in our network who are leaving it all out in the field on Election Day. And while it’s wild to write this knowing the exhaustion that folks are feeling, the work doesn’t end tomorrow. The true power of the network is flexed after Election Day when we continue to invest in young people to grow their skills, fight for the issues they care about, and hold electeds accountable.

So hang in tight. Cast your ballot and make sure your friends and family do too.

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