We may be staying home to flatten the curve, but we do not want to miss the opportunity to reflect and celebrate what an amazing year 2019 was for the Alliance network. To us, there is no such thing as an “off-year” when building young people’s political power. The Alliance for Youth Action network organizes 365 days a year, every year. For proof, look no further than our 2019 Annual Report!  

2019 was one of our biggest years yet. We launched our first-ever communications department and grew our development and operations teams to support a continuously growing network of 20 youth-led organizations!

The Alliance network collectively registered 50,800 voters, collected 46,780 pledge-to-vote cards, and sent 110,000 peer-to-peer texts to mobilize young voters in 2019 elections.

In addition to investing in young voters, our network organizations secured major victories on innovative and progressive local issue campaigns. From MOVE Texas defeating a dangerous voter suppression bill to Chicago Votes passing legislation granting voting access to people detained in pre-trial jail, the local leaders in the Alliance network are creating a more just and equitable world for all of us.

Our network did all this in 2019 while supporting and empowering the next generation of young leaders. Our network graduated 287 local organizers from local civic engagement-focused leadership development programs. We held our first-ever Youth Action Summit bringing together the best youth organizers from across the country. And we held our largest-ever (and most competitive) Monthly Donor Competition raising over $100,000 in new annual dollars from over 600 grassroots donors!

All of this to say, 2019 was no “off-year” for the Alliance. It was a year packed with innovative organizing, progressive wins, and major growth all setting us up for a successful 2020. But don’t just take our word for it. Read the full 2019 Annual Report here. 

We already know that young people are a powerful political force in 2020, but young people cannot vote if they cannot access the ballot box. Since 2012, over 1,000 polling locations have closed and we’ve had enough. Our sister organization, Alliance for Youth Organizing,  launched a brand new initiative with MTV, Campus Vote Project, and the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition called  +1 the Polls — the first-ever national effort to create new polling sites on college campuses and in local communities for the 2020 primaries and general elections. 

We are no strangers to fighting for polling locations on college campuses. Organizations in the Alliance network have been protecting and expanding polling locations on their campuses for years. Here are some of their stories:

Chakena Sims, the Board President for Chicago Votes, on why protecting black voter’s access to the polls is the right thing to do:

“Our democracy works best when more voices are included. A representative democracy ensures that Black people can visit the ballot box and choose from leaders that look and think like us, know what our lives are like, and have the best track record to improve our everyday lives.”

MTV News

Miami Herald

In 2018, Florida Governor Rick Scott, told election officials to ban early voting locations on college and university campuses discriminating against student voters across the state. Thanks to U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, the ban was deemed unconstitutional showed “a stark pattern of discrimination”. This court decision did not mean early voting locations instantly popped up around the state. Student organizers with Engage Miami had to fight for early voting sites at Miami Dade College, one of the largest higher education institutions in the country.

In 2018, MOVE Texas and the Texas Civil Rights Project threatened to sue Hays County if they did not reopen polling locations for early voting and election day at the Texas State University campus. MOVE Texas and the Texas Civil Rights Project won and a polling location was added. The campus saw a 400% increase in voter turnout on campus from 2014! Students were likely the key factor in flipping the conservative county to the Democrats.

MTV NEWS

The Texas Tribune

Raven Douglas, Political Director at MOVE Texas, on why young people need to get out and vote:

“The fight is just getting started. It is going to take all of us, working in community, to expand access to polling places and giving more young people a voice. So get registered, get active, and join us in the fight. Together, we can empower a new generation of voters to strengthen our democracy and start to fix what’s broken.”

Learn more about the +1 the Polls initiative here.

It’s Election Day! And we are one year out from one of the most important elections of our lifetimes. More eyes than ever will be on the 2020 race and while some may say that young people won’t turn out, we see every day how young people are leading change at the ballot box and in their communities.

We also know what it takes to win – year-round grassroots organizing to mobilize and empower the nation’s largest voting bloc. And that is exactly what we have been building in 2019 to prepare for 2020.

Alliance organizations will use innovative tactics to get out the youth vote today, on November 3rd, 2020, and all the elections in between including:

• Registering 200,000 young voters
• Distributing over 1 million voter guides to educate young voters about what’s on their ballot
• Using innovative tactics to get out the vote like Parties at the Polls and Chicago Votes’ infamous Parades to the Polls
• Hosting youth-focused candidate forums
• Utilizing new digital tools to reach more young people
• Engaging with artists and cultural influencers
• Getting trained on the latest strategies to better utilize data systems
• And much more

Not only are we growing young voters through these strategies, we are doing so as a united movement. In August, the Alliance brought together over 200 of the best and brightest young organizers from across the country, including our network, who are hard at work doing scaled, on-the-ground, electoral and issue organizing in their communities for the first-of-its-kind Youth Action Summit.

Young people are the largest, most diverse, most engaged voting bloc in the country. And through local, field-focused, youth-led organizing, we have been building the movement this country needs to get young people to vote on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020. But for every win that youth organizers make, there are dozens of naysayers who are critiquing the power of our generation. So, let’s tell the naysayers that we are not only on the right side of history, but we’re making change every single day across this country.

Support the movement that is of young people, by young people, and for all people today!

Tell the naysayers that young people are ready for 2020 by posting this message on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #OneYearOut!

The Alliance network has been winning some major victories and scaling work to new heights. In order to match the brilliance and growth in our network, we need a national team and board that are just as awesome. We are thrilled to introduce to you all the newest members of the Alliance national staff and Alliance Boards of Directors!

Meet the powerhouses joining the Alliance staff

Billy Koontz

As the Finance Director, Billy monitors and maintains organization-wide financial management systems to ensure high quality internal controls, accurate financial reporting, and effective financial analysis and planning. Billy is excited to begin his professional organizing career, previously only volunteering on U.S. Senate & House campaigns in Texas. Prior to working at the Alliance, he worked in numerous financial analysis and accounting management roles within a variety of publicly traded corporations. Billy is excited to have an opportunity to put his finance and accounting skills to use for an organization that truly aligns with his strong desire for political engagement. Billy recently moved back to Washington, D.C. to work at the Alliance, and is very eager to contribute to the team and mission!

Mariella Villacorta

Mariella was born and raised in San Salvador, El Salvador and immigrated at the age of 11 with her family to the outskirts of Washington, D.C. She believes in the power of community and youth advocacy for a just and inclusive future. In college, she advocated for marginalized student’s issues to support a better campus environment for students of color, undocumented, first generation, LGBTQIA+, students with disabilities, and other underrepresented folks. After, she worked with progressive candidates at the local level to grow grassroots campaigns and win critical victories in Maryland. She’s excited to support transformational organizing and young people’s empowerment as the new Development Associate at the Alliance. Let’s get this money!

Kenny Myers

Kenny just moved to Washington, D.C. from Ohio to join the Alliance. Before this, he worked as the National Events Manager at Brass Tactics, where he guided earned media “disruption” campaigns nationwide focused on the climate crisis and protecting public lands. He also has extensive experience in scaling up electoral field work on both local and statewide levels. Joining a growing program team at the Alliance, Kenny supports affiliates to develop badass programs that deliver real wins and results for our generation

Meet the new minds powering the Alliance’s Boards of Directors

Several of our board members are transitioning out due to some exciting, new roles they are taking on that leave them with less capacity ( ie congrats Kelley Robinson, new ED of Planned Parenthood Action Fund!). While we are bummed to see some of these board members go, once you’re part of the Alliance, you will always stay part of the fam <3 Join us in welcoming these incredible new members to our board!

Cindy Kang

Cindy believes in the power of organizing to create a more just world and that young people are the future, which is why she’s thrilled to serve on the Alliance board! She currently serves as Managing Director at The Management Center, supporting social justice leaders to build and run effective organizations. She got her start as a field organizer with Green Corps, where she gained the training and inspiration for a career in social change. Over the next 12 years, she served in various leadership roles at Green Corps including Executive Director. Cindy then served as Managing Director and then Executive Director of Citizen Engagement Lab (CEL), where she supported social change entrepreneurs in launching innovative projects and startups. Cindy lives in Berkeley, California, where she’s likely to be found eating tacos or hanging out with her orange cat named Juice.

Daniel Gonzales

Daniel is the *new* Director of Planning and Program Analysis at America Votes. Previously he worked for five years at the Analyst Institute, bringing evidence-based programming to groups across the country. Daniel lives in Colorado and has worked to center voices of color in his work at AI, the Colorado c3 table, and Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR).

Juan Escalante

Juan is a nationally renowned immigration advocate and online strategist who recently moved to Washington, D.C. from Tallahassee, FL. He has been fighting for the Dream Act and pro-immigration at all levels of government for the past ten years. Escalante’s work has been published by the Miami Herald, VOX, the Huffington Post, USA Today, and other major outlets. He currently designs digital campaigns for FWD.us, where he helps organize and local efforts through a variety of online platforms to get pro-migrant legislation enacted.

LiJia Gong

In LiJia’s current role at Public Rights Project, she supports state and local governments in protecting and advocating for civil rights, economic justice, and environmental protection. Previously, she worked on Senator Elizabeth Warren’s reelection campaign and worked as a litigator in private practice. LiJia is also a proud founder and member of Radfund, a group of friends that give at least 1% of our income and .1% of our wealth to folks organizing around racial economic justice in NYC. One of the things that brought the folks in Radfund together is that we all love to dance–and LiJia is no exception! They are thrilled to be joining the Alliance Board, because they believe that local organizing of young people is the key to transformative change–and to winning elections! LiJia is excited to follow the lead of young people on organizing, social change, and–most importantly–dance moves.

Oscar Boleman

Oscar grew up in Galveston Island, then received a BA from Baylor in Psychology and Philosophy. He has worked for political campaigns, community organizing groups and state-level PACs and is currently the National Data Manager at America Votes. Oscar says that being a part of Alliance for Youth Action’s board is a humbling and exciting commitment. One of the issues that he has always seen faced by youth-engaged orgs is that they’re seen as the “kiddie tables” of the political space, where they should be treated as incubators for future leaders and their novel ideas. Seeing the actions taken by the Alliance affiliates and partners reignites what first got him interested in pro-social advocacy/politics. Oscar can’t wait for the opportunity to pitch in and help with the development of new campaigns for the Alliance and its affiliates and partners to continue fighting for a more equitable and future-facing society.

Paola Ramos

Paola is the host of VICE’s “Latin-X”, a weekly contributor for Telemundo News and a fellow at Laurene Powell Jobs’ foundation, Emerson Collective. She was the former Deputy Director of Hispanic Media for Hillary Clinton, as well as a former political appointee in the Obama White House and an Obama 2012 campaign staffer. Throughout all of these platforms, Ramos focused on using creative means to uplift the stories and voices of the Latinx community. She’s also in the process of writing her first book, which defines the Latinx movement and reimagines our power. Ramos received her B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University and her MPP from Harvard University’s Kennedy School.

Vaughn Frisby

Vaughn currently serves as the Director of Individual Giving for SPUR, a Bay Area urban planning and policy think tank. Vaughn’s previous roles include the Associate Director of Individual Giving for Worldreader, the Senior Major Gifts Officer at San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and the Assistant Advancement Director at The Sierra Club. Outside of the office, Vaughn is a regular participant in AIDS/Lifecycle and enjoys traveling. Vaughn holds a BA in Sociology from Goucher College and a M.A. in International Development and Social Change from Clark University.

We are beyond thrilled to have such fierce advocates for youth political power joining our team and board. Join us in welcoming these new faces to the Alliance fam.

At the Alliance, we are fierce advocates for protecting the right to vote, expanding access to the ballot box, and ensuring that all voices are heard in our democracy. That’s why we partnered with the Daily Kos to launch this petition calling on Congress to protect and expand youth voter access. Sign the petition today!

Sign Our Petition: Congress Must Protect and Expand Youth Voter Access

August will mark the 54th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. As we take the time to reflect on watershed moments of the past, we should remind ourselves of the role that young people played to secure these victories for civil and civic rights. Young people are still leading on critical issues for our democracy, including on the protection and expansion of voting rights.

It is young people stepping up at the state and local levels, getting organized, and taking action that often secure crucial democratic victories that are later enshrined into federal law. Today, we have numerous examples of this youth power and leadership in motion – whether it is The Bus Project leading the charge to make Oregon the first state in the nation to pass automatic voter registration, New Era Colorado delivering pre-registration for 16- and 17-year olds and online voter registration across the state, or Chicago Votes ensuring that those in pre-trial detention have access to the ballot. As a part of the Alliance for Youth Action network, these organizations mobilize young people to secure our democracy for all people.

However, too many young people still face obstacles to exercising their constitutional right to vote. It is crucial that young people have a voice in government and the chance to secure a more equitable future. The current system for voter registration and access leaves millions of younger potential voters outside of the political system, with young people of color disproportionately impacted.

Congress must now follow the lead of youth-led organizations to welcome young voters into our democracy. This is done by prioritizing automatic voter registration, pre-registration, longer early voting periods, same-day voter registration, accessible voting locations, and vote-by-mail. Removing barriers to voter registration and access to the ballot is strongly linked to higher turnout and our democracy is best when all feel empowered to exercise their right to vote.

Our message to Congress:

We are asking you to protect voting rights and access to the ballot – especially for young voters. Young voters are now the largest eligible voting population and unnecessary obstacles to the polls put democracy out of reach for far too many. Congress must ensure all Americans have not only the right to vote but access to the vote as well.

Sign the petition here. 

Young people represent the largest, most diverse, and progressive generations this nation has ever seen. Now we represent the largest voting bloc in the country. According to our poll conducted in partnership with TargetSmart and Civiqs, young voters are energized and ready to flex their power in 2020.

According to our poll, likely Democratic primary voters aged 18-34 proved what we know to be true and what our network experiences in the field every day. A clear majority of Millennial and Generation Z voters want Democratic candidates to focus on bold, progressive policy, not just beating Donald Trump. It is not enough for candidates to be anti-Trump. Candidates must show that they are willing to bring our issues to the table and have robust plans for how to address them. 

Young people feel the pressures of burdening student debt, high housing costs, worsening climate threats, terrifying gun violence, and more. These issues drive our votes because they dictate our lives. We will vote for a candidate who aligns with our ideals, stands up for our lives, and fights for our future––not just someone who seems “electable”.

But that’s not all – not only do young people want big, bold policy change, but they are engaged, paying attention, and ready to throw down. And that engagement is highest among young voters of color—more than eight in 10 (82 percent) young black voters say they feel engaged in the process and nearly eight in 10 young latinx voters (77 percent) say they are very enthusiastic about the 2020 Democratic presidential primary contest. 

The Alliance for Youth Action network of youth-led organizations has been on the frontlines fighting for policy change for years. Whether it is Pennsylvania Student Power Network advocating for free college, Chicago Votes fighting for the right to vote for people in pre-trial detention, Forward Montana protecting public lands, or Leaders Igniting Transformation pushing for an end to the school to prison pipeline –– these local young people’s organizations have been at the forefront of pushing progressive policy. Candidates should not only pay attention to the issues young people care about, but also look to young leaders for how we can win on these issues. 

Over the past couple of years, young people have demanded a seat at the table. From gun violence prevention to climate justice, we have sparked social movements and ignited change. We want a candidate who can match this energy and fight to build the country we all want and deserve. Will the candidates step up to the challenge? We certainly hope so. We will watch the first 2020 Democratic debates tonight and tomorrow to find out and we know we won’t be watching alone. 

Please join us here as we live-Tweet both nights. 

For more information about this poll, see our press release here. We’re over a year out from the 2020 election, but network organizations are busy getting ready to engage up and down the ballot, young people are ready to make their voices heard, and we couldn’t be more excited to support and uplift this work. 

To the power of young people,

Sarah Audelo
Executive Director

This has been our biggest year yet at the Alliance. We have more affiliates (eleven!), partners (twelve!), and staff (nine!) than ever before and there is no doubt that our network had a massive impact on the outcome of the 2018 elections. We couldn’t have done this without your support – from funding us directly to championing our work, this is an occasion we can all celebrate together. 

To support this work, the Alliance moved the most money EVER to the field – 2 million dollars! 

These funds were moved to 23 organizations – including 11 affiliates and 12 youth organizing partners to support rapid response activities post-Parkland, issue engagement on voting rights & economic justice, electoral engagement (all things voter registration, GOTV, and voter education) and more.

Scaling field operations is not the only thing this funding supported. It allowed organizations to pay for professional photographers and videographers in the field to better capture the amazing work that network organizations lead every day; provide bonuses to staff members, organizers, and fellows; and supported an extra cushion for last minute GOTV expenses.
 
The Alliance also prioritized the development of organizations to be sustainable for the long run. In addition to providing in-house capacity building support to the network, we piloted a “Professional Services Suite” for affiliate organizations to access expert consultants to support their operations and infrastructure, including:

• Strategic planning consulting and facilitation
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion training
• Legal services
• Tax, accounting and audit services
• Management and leadership coaching
• Access to skills-based conferences and conventions

On top of that, we cut end of year checks to network organizations to ensure they have a healthy cash balance in 2019 to build financial reserves, keep employees on staff longer, and run early 2019 program.

So THANK YOU! Thank you for this amazing privilege to be able to support network organizations. And thank you for helping us raise and move more money than we could have imagined in the biggest year of our history. We’re so excited to keep building together.