New Voters Project

The New Voters Project is a nonpartisan effort to help register young people and get them to the polls on Election Day. We believe the best way to raise the voices of young people is to register and vote.

We do not endorse any candidate or party. Our job is to get young people to the polls. It is up to candidates to convince them who to vote for.

2012 Goals

The full participation of young people in the political process is essential to a truly representative, vibrant democracy. Since the launch of the National Student Campaign for Voter Registration more than 25 years ago, CALPIRG students have worked to mobilize young voters – spearheading massive registration and ‘get out the vote’ drives to turn millions of young people out to the polls.

In large part due to this work and that of the larger youth vote movement, the youth vote is on the rise.

2004: Young voter turnout surged 9%, an increase three times that of the general population.
2006: The youth vote increased again, growing by 2 million votes.
2008: The number of voters under 30 who showed up at the polls increased by approximately 11%, while the number of older voters who cast a ballot increased by only 3 percent.

A major reason for this increased turnout is that politicians are paying more attention to young people. If politicians ramp up their efforts to engage young people directly on issues important to us and talk to us as much as they do to older voters, then young people will continue to turn out in bigger numbers, ensuring a stronger democracy in the United States.

To continue this momentum in 2012, student volunteers with the New Voters Project will reach out to their peers on campus to help them register to vote and turn them out on Election Day.