At a presentation by @NextGenAmerica about the #YouthVote. Fate of country depends on the young. Millennial and Gen Z will be 34% of all US eligible voters in 2018.
In 2014, the last midterm, turnout by 18-34yo was... 23%. Gotta change that this year.
In 2014, the last midterm, turnout by 18-34yo was... 23%. Gotta change that this year.
“For the vast majority of non-Republican young voters, the decision isn’t D vs R. It’s voting vs. non-voting.” #youthvote
This research project doesn’t focus on issues. Young people care intensely about issues; that’s a given. Talking about issues vital. But things that stop them from voting aren’t about issues, they’re more about believing that votes don’t matter or perpetuate a broken system.
Brilliant Corners, the research firm run by the great @cornellbelcher, did two demographically diverse #youthvote focus groups in each of 3 cities. First finding: millennials don’t like being called “millennials.”
Young people told researchers they care deeply in county, highly engaged in community, but skeptical about political system. Key message that made sense to engage voters: “power in numbers.”
In focus groups, young people stunned by this graph of voter turnout by generation in 2014. Message: if young people get involved en masse, their power in numbers will revolutionize the system. #youthvote 
People say they don’t like negative messages and want positive msg. But in testing, negative message about Trump’s attacks on communities 2x as powerful in motivating people to want to vote. #youthvote
WOW: This huge research project found, to its surprise, that a single message was the most powerful one across all demographics and attitudinal segments of the #youthvote. Here it is. “There’s power in numbers.”
Another powerful message - using specific facts to illustrate how a single vote affects people’s lives. Proving the efficacy of voting & power in numbers = key. #youthvote
Meanwhile, here’s a message that totally flopped with the #youthvote. (Incidentally, it remind me of a lot of tweets folks post on here.
Very good news: #youthvote has been WAY up in every special election since Trump. “I have a million spreadsheets on all of this” says researcher.
“Mail super works”—fascinating that mail is still really powerful for younger voters. @NextGenAmerica planning to send 10m mail pieces to young voters.
Highly motivating framing in the #YouthVote research—“put this on signs that you bring to every protest”:
“Evil thrives when good people do nothing”
“Evil thrives when good people do nothing”
And here’s the research in this thread presented in article form by the alarmingly speedy Jim Newell:
