*For more information contact: Sujatha Jahagirdar, Program Director, (323) 309 6120*

Since 2004, PennPIRG’s New Voters Project has been among the state’s leading non-partisan youth voter mobilization programs.  Founded with the goal of increasing youth political participation, we believe that increasing young voter rates seen over the past several election cycles bode well for democracy for three key reasons. First, young people are the generation that will be most impacted by our most pressing issues – such as global warming and health care – and by engaging them now, it’s more likely that they’ll be a driving force towards the solutions to these issues. Second, youth are a big and growing portion of the national electorate (25% by 2008) and as such have the potential to make big impacts on these issues.  Finally, youth voting habits are formed early - getting more young people to vote now results in a more active citizenry in the future.

Strategies That Work

PennPIRG’s New Voters Project has used tested methods at an unprecedented scale and rigor to register thousands of 18-30 year olds to vote and made thousands more Get out the Vote (GOTV) contacts via phone or face to face to encourage young people to vote. 

Since 2004 our efforts have spanned the state, working with student leaders and campus partners at the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Community College of Philadelphia, University of Pittsburgh, Villanova University, West Chester University, Edinboro University, Haverford College, La Salle University, and Drexel University.   Through direct voter registration, get out the vote efforts, trainings and campus partnerships, PennPIRG has helped mobilize thousands of young Pennsylvanians to the polls

The project works. In part due to our efforts, youth voting rates in Pennsylvania have increased significantly.  According to CIRCLE,  turnout among 18-24 year-olds in the state increased by 12 points in 2004 over 2000. 

Dorm Storms and DJs - Continuing Youth Vote Increases in 2008

The 2008 elections present an opportunity not only to keep driving up the youth voter turnout, but also to establish and significantly boost our student organizing network. As such, PennPIRG is working hard to make 2008 a pivotal year in youth voting.

This primary season, student leaders with the project registered students to vote on college campuses in the Philadelphia region through registration tables on the campus quad staffed by local DJs who urged students on their way to class to vote; a capella concerts and campus ‘dorm storm

In the last two weeks leading up to the primaries, student volunteers mobilized by PennPIRG’s New Voters Project will organize campus visibility events, movie screenings, Election Day shuttles to the polls leaving from campus dorms to turn out the campus vote on April 22nd.   Students at Temple, Bryn Mawr and Haverford’s campuses will also organize results-watching parties on election night to celebrate the youth vote.