What's Your Plan?

Something big is happening in our democracy - young people are voting.

For the past three elections, we’ve turned out in big numbers:

• In 2004, 20.1 million 18-29 year olds voted, up 4.3 million votes from 2000. More 18-29 year olds voted in 2004 than voters over the age of 65.
  
• In 2005, turnout in hotly contested college student precincts in New Jersey and Virginia increased 15-19%, even though turnout for other age groups decreased.
• In 2006, 18-29 year old turnout increased by 2 million votes, while turnout among voters of all ages just moderately increased.

The evidence also shows that when politicians talk to young people, we will vote even more. In 2006, turnout was six times the national young adult average in college-based precincts that were targeted with youth get-out-the-vote programs.

Young people were going to vote in the 2008 primaries - and we knew they would vote even more if the Presidential candidates targeted young people. Not just with big smiles and empty rhetoric, but with substance, engaging us in conversations about the issues we care about. Issues like global warming, college affordability, health care, and financial security.

These are critical issues, and we’re the generation who will be most affected by them. So we didn't wait for the candidates to come to us - we went directly to them and asked one simple question: “What’s Your Plan?” on global warming. On college affordability. On affordable health care. And on financial security.

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