DOSOMETHING.ORG LAUNCHES MULTI-YEAR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM TO FUEL A NEW GENERATION OF VOTERS

"The Future is Now" begins with a 2022 midterm election initiative designed with the goal of registering 30,000 young people to vote and claim our democracy

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of National Voter Registration Day on September 20th, DoSomething.org, the national hub for youth-centered activism, today launches "The Future is Now." The multi-year civic engagement program will activate new voters and encourage young people to claim our democracy in service of making equitable progress on the issues that matter most to them. The program will accelerate DoSomething's ongoing commitment to mobilizing young voters - the organization registered over 360,000 young people during the 2018 and 2020 election cycles with an average of 62% turning out to vote; above the national average for youth turnout. Between now and November's midterm elections, DoSomething aims to register 30,000 voters. Following the election, DoSomething will prioritize educating their membership about how to wield their civic power between election cycles and sustain engagement toward a mass mobilization effort for the 2024 presidential election.

"It is critical to the health of our democracy that we demystify democracy for young people and support them in shaping it to be more accessible, inclusive and representative," says DeNora Getachew, CEO of DoSomething.org and longtime democracy champion. "Young people are claiming their power by leading some of the most important social movements of today - from championing gun safety to advocating for climate justice. And yet, many states nationwide are making it more difficult for young people to cast their votes through restrictive voting laws and gerrymandering. Our program is designed to help young people understand how to overcome these obstacles and join together to create the change they want to see."

Over 17 million young people will become eligible to vote between 2020 and 2022. However, according to a May 2022 DoSomething member pulse survey, 44 percent of young people who say they do not intend to vote cite that they don't have enough information. Therefore, the first phase of "The Future is Now" will provide young people with increased knowledge about voting laws, the impact of elections on their communities, how to combat barriers to voting, and opportunities for engagement in elections beyond casting a vote.

DoSomething will fuel young people to claim our democracy in several ways:

• Register to Vote in Two Minutes: DoSomething is making registering to vote more accessible than ever. Young people can visit vote.dosomething.org to register to vote in less time than it takes to watch a TikTok video.
• Become a Voter Captain: By signing up to be a Voter Captain, DoSomething will provide young people with all the materials they need to take a leading role in increasing youth voter registration by hosting in-person or virtual voter registration drives in their community – all they need is a passion for democracy.
• Discover Your Civic Superpower: Young people who want to get involved in democracy but aren't sure where to start can participate in "Your Voice, Your Vote," a quiz to help determine how they can use their skills and interests to get engaged, even if they aren't yet eligible to vote.
• Sign Up to Work the Polls: In partnership with Power the Polls, DoSomething is addressing the projected poll worker shortages by connecting young people with opportunities to work at polling stations in their community–something they can do even if they're not yet 18.
• Make a Voting Plan: As election day approaches, young people will be able to make a voting plan on DoSomething.org including accessing nonpartisan resources from Guides.Vote to help them evaluate candidates and spot election misinformation.
• Seize the Opportunity to Vote via Mail: On October 13, DoSomething will celebrate its own civic holiday, National Absentee Ballot Day. Launched in 2018, it serves as an important milestone to ensure young people request and send in absentee ballots and understand the importance of absentee ballots in securing a smooth and complete election count for the millions of young people living away from home.

To amplify these efforts, DoSomething is teaming up with partners such as Her Campus, The Conversationalist and the It Gets Better Project to make civic engagement celebratory and promote critical conversations about the impact of new restrictive voting laws on the youth vote – in particular students, BIPOC communities and trans youth.

At the heart of "The Future is Now" is an effort to capture the voices and opinions of young people today. "This election season, I am willing to do anything I can to make our voices heard," said DoSomething member Arlyn R. "Even though I am not old enough to vote, I will do my part this election season to get everyone to cast their vote. Every year at my school, I like to organize meetings about elections and voting. This has allowed me to listen to other's opinions and perspectives about the election. This has also helped raise awareness of voter registration for students that are old enough to vote at my school!"

"The Future is Now" is one of the first programs launching under DoSomething's new strategic direction, Fueling the Future, which firmly centers young people as the organization evolves away from volunteerism and toward programs that tackle the root cause of the issues that matter most to young people. Those interested in joining Arlyn and thousands of other DoSomething members across the country can take action at: https://www.dosomething.org/us/causes/voter-registration

DoSomething fuels young people to change the world. As a national hub for youth-centered activism, we have activated more than 5 million young people representing every U.S. area code and over 130 countries. DoSomething has registered over 360,000 new voters since 2018 and awarded more than $1.8 million in scholarships to young people since 2010. When you join DoSomething.org, you are joining a reflective and inclusive collective of young people who are collaborating to develop and implement the solutions to the most pressing issues facing society today.

SOURCE DoSomething.org

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