Today we’re flexing the power of the youth vote 

Alliance Network youth organizers prepared young people in their communities to show up informed and ready to cast their ballots in this year’s midterms. And now, we are looking back at all of the hard work youth organizers put in this year to help turn out around 27% of youth (ages 18-29) making this the second-highest youth voter turnout in a midterm election in the last three decades.

Young people were also the only age group to break for Democrats. Black and Latino youth gave Democrats their strongest support with 89% of Black youth and 68% of Latino youth voting for Democratic House candidates. Young people (18-29) supported Democrats nationwide on average 63% compared to 35% for Republicans. This is historic, and the third-largest gap in history.

Here is a snapshot of the work the Alliance Network did this year to mobilize young people and fight for our future. 

The Alliance Network wins by organizing young people year-round, and this year we can thank youth organizers for several wins in this election. 

Here’s a glimpse at some of the local wins we’ve been celebrating:

After a partnership with the Chicago Bears, Chicago Votes was featured on ESPN. They are heading into a veto session in the coming weeks to advocate for Senate Bill 828, which restores voting rights to people currently incarcerated.

This cycle, Engage Miami organized around, and recently won on Referendum #210 which increases teacher’s pay in Miami-Dade County!

Every. Vote. Counts. And Forward Montana recognizes that now more than ever after they supported the re-election of a critical progressive legislator in Montana  who won his race by a few hundred votes. 

In Wisconsin, Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT) knocked over 120,00 doors this cycle, accompanying that with 250,000 calls, and 73,000 voter guides distributed to young folks across the state helping Democratic incumbent Gov. Tony Evers declare victory.

MOVE Texas is celebrating local wins related to climate action in South Texas.

Next Up won proportional representation in Portland, Oregon. With Measure 26-228’s passage, Portland will now use ranked choice voting in elections for mayor, auditor, and city council, create four City Council districts with three representatives each, and appoint a professional city administrator to manage all city services, starting in 2024. Oregon also voted to remove language from its constitution that allowed slavery as punishment.

Thanks to their rigorous work engaging Asian American voters, North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) saw a huge increase in AAPI early vote numbers. A 66% increase from 2018, and 7x more than in 2014. They are also celebrating wins for 18 of their 22 endorsed candidates!

Detroit Action won two ballot measures! Proposal 2, the voter rights amendment to their state constitution, and another to enshrine abortion rights. They also celebrate nine of their 11 endorsed candidates who won their races!

New Hampshire Youth Movement (NHYM) is celebrating wins for 18 out of 28 of their endorsed candidates, including one former NHYM staff member who won a seat in the New Hampshire State House!

This year, Loud Light in Kansas won their abortion ballot initiative and Governor’s race. They also had nearly 40 fellows organizing college students across ten different campuses. Alongside the ACLU of Kansas, they also ran a statewide Election Protection program with nearly 150 poll observers across 20 different counties. Loud Light was also able to rally over 1,000 volunteers to take action in their various engagements. 

Asian Community Development Council (ACDC) endorsed two ballot measures that both passed! One measure was to adopt what is widely considered the most comprehensive state version of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the nation. It amends the state Constitution to ensure equal rights for all, “regardless of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry, or national origin.” The other measure was around raising the minimum wage.

This year’s election showed that young people are not only reimagining a democracy done right, but also reimagining what this country could be in the future because young people are pissed off. They are angry that this country has set them up for failure. They are angry that social security nets and social barriers are being broken down. They are upset the Supreme Court took away their constitutional right to abortion access. 

And youth organizers in the Alliance Network were able to channel this anger into historic youth voter turnout and get major wins throughout the country that will create a better future for all of us. This year, the youth vote made the difference, but we won’t stop here. We’re channeling this energy to move us to 2024 and beyond!

Across 18 states, our network turned out young voters in their states, leading to some incredible victories and preserving our democracy. Next week, we’ll dive deeper into the Alliance Network’s impact on this year’s midterm elections. But let’s not wait to celebrate! Here are just a few highlights from the Alliance Network so far.

Gen Z and Millennials will continue to be the largest voting bloc for years to come, and they have proven time and time again that they will show up to vote and change the outcome of elections. Time and time again, polls have been wrong about us, and we say instead of listening to a pollster, listen to a local youth organizer. 

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Happy Election Day, Alliance Fam!

Young people across the Alliance Network have been organizing their communities all year long, and it’s all been leading up to today. Election Day is finally here and we have so much to celebrate already. As of yesterday, more than 6 million Gen-Z and Millennial voters have cast a ballot. And so far, we have seen major wins happen, thanks to the local youth-led grassroots organizing happening across the network. 

The Power of Year-Round Local Youth Organizing

During their August primary, Loud Light worked in coalition to stop a constitutional amendment that would ban abortion in Kansas and they WON! With Kansas voters being the first to vote on abortion access post-Roe, this was a huge win led by young people. Thanks to Chicago Votes organizers, Cook County Jail (recently made a polling place thanks to a 2019 win) had record turnout of 24.9% in their primary. Forward Montana also celebrated a win after challenging voter suppression laws passed by the state legislature that made it more difficult for young Montanans to cast their ballot. And because of the power of the youth vote, the opposition is actively targeting youth of color with disinformation. Earlier this month, North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) called out and discredited disinformation seeking to mislead and harm the AAPI community. Youth organizers in our network will continue to stand resilient against attempts to suppress and silence our votes.

Vote Today

Haven’t voted yet? It’s not too late to use the Alliance’s #VoteReady hub to make a plan to vote today! Find your polling place and see what’s on your ballot all in one place. 

And here are some important things to remember:

• Voter intimidation is illegal and should always be reported. Call or text the Election Protection hotline to connect with a trained volunteer or to report voting issues:
  • 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
  • info@866ourvote.org
• Election night is not always results night and election workers are there to ensure every vote gets counted accurately. Election workers need time to count every single vote — including in person, mail, absentee, overseas, and military ballots. Every vote counts and so we must #counteveryvote.
• Our elections have been proven to be secure. There are rigorous processes in place for testing and certifying voting machines, along with procedures to ensure accuracy. Claims about flawed or compromised voting machines have been repeatedly debunked and are a tactic to try to keep eligible voters from casting their ballots. Don’t let these claims stop you from having your voice heard. 

What’s at Stake

Youth organizers in the Alliance Network know that young people are multi-issue voters who are facing so much. In Michigan, they are fighting for abortion access. In Wisconsin, they are fighting to preserve democracy. In Florida, they are fighting against authoritarianism. These issues and so much more are on ballots across our Alliance Network states. 

A climate crisis, mental health issues leading to high rates of suicide, Black and Brown youth being targeted, profiled, and killed by the police, young people who have been through multiple economic crises in their lives and are now stunted by rising housing prices, low wages, and recessions and now – young people know a world without federal constitutional protection of abortion rights.

And it is youth organizers from coast to coast who have invested in and built with young people year-round to address these issues and protect the freedom to vote in their states. And for youth organizers in the Alliance Network who are at the forefront of fighting for these issues, they’re directly impacted as well. So, today is a celebration of young people’s resilience in the face of these threats to our democracy and to our lives. After today, the fight continues. Join our Democracy Done Right campaign to stay tuned on what’s next. 

Share Your Democracy Debut Story

Are you or someone you know voting for the first time in this year’s midterm elections? We want to hear your first-time voter story! The Alliance is rolling out the red carpet to celebrate first-time voters making their Democracy Debut this November.

Hear from first-time voters that have shared their stories with us already.

Send us your story and tell the world that you’re joining us in contributing to our democracy!

Looking to see what the rest of the Alliance Network is up to on Election Day? Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to see how we’re celebrating democracy today! 

Gen-Z and Millennial voters will be a decisive electoral force this midterm election because of the power local youth organizing. And it is Alliance Network organizations serving as political homes that educate voters year-round, and turn them out to vote every 👏🏽 single 👏🏽 election 👏🏽. 

To fueling the youth vote. Let’s get it!