For immediate release:                                                                                  January 27, 2007

Contact:
Sujatha Jahagirdar, 323 309 6120

Youth Voter Turnout Nearly Triples in South Carolina

Facebook, Flickr and Flash-Mobs – Youth Voter Mobilization Efforts Eye Super Tuesday

Buoyed by a South Carolina youth vote that nearly tripled over the last Democratic primary, young people are ramping up their efforts to turn out their peers in Super Tuesday states.  From California to Colorado; New Mexico to New Jersey, students leaders are using Facebook, Flickr, text-messaging and are pounding the pavement to ensure the youth vote is head loud and clear on February 5th.

2008 South Carolina Youth Turnout Nearly Triples 

Democratic Primaries                                   2004                        2008 

Approx No.Votes Cast by 18-29 year olds        26,181                74,245
 
Source: CIRCLE

The youth vote has played a key role in the presidential contests to date, with marked surges in Iowa, New Hampshire and now South Carolina.  Efforts by young people to turn out their peers, such as the Student PIRGs’ What’s Your Plan? campaign were critical in boosting the youth vote.  Since last spring South Carolina volunteers with the Student PIRGs’ What’s Your Plan? campaign have appeared at events to urge the candidates to engage young voters directly in the issues they care about – like financial security, global warming and college affordability – in order to help boost youth voter participation.

Energized by the surging youth vote that is sweeping the country, young people in several Super Tuesday states are using Facebook, Flash-Mobs, text messaging and events to get their peers to the polls on February 5th

Northern California: Students at the University of California, Davis will organize a ‘Flash Mob’ this Wednesday at which students holding balloons will march over to a campus early-voting station and cast their ballots;

Southern California: Students from the Los Angeles Community Colleges will organize a ‘Tailgate the Debate’ event outside the January 31st debates at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles to call attention to youth issues;  

New Jersey: Students will make dozens of classroom announcements that ask students to put down their pens, pick up a cell phone and text their friends a ‘get-out-the-vote’ message;

Colorado: Students will partner with student government to run campus ‘how to caucus’ trainings;

New Mexico: Students will send text message reminders with precinct information to registered young voters on campus.

Super Tuesday states targeted by campus voter mobilization efforts: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Missouri, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico.

For schedule of campus voter mobilization efforts and interviews with student leaders contact:  Sujatha Jahagirdar (323) 309 6120, Sujatha@studentpirgs.org

###