Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 4 sepTember 2018
$30 million poured into effort to energize young voters

By SCOTT BAUER zational thing than a two-
Associated Press month campaign," Next-
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gen founder Tom Steyer
Democrats know who their said in an interview. "We're
voters are. They just have to trying to get the broadest
figure out how to get them possible democracy, the
to the polls in November — biggest representation."
and that's where the pup- More media coverage of
pies come in. competitive races, com-
Students returning to the bined with energy from the
University of Wisconsin- March for Our Lives move-
Madison campus this sum- ment that seeks stricter
mer were greeted by ther- gun laws, has empowered
apy dogs for petting. Those young voters and made
lured by the chance to ruf- them "feel like it's time to
fle a dog's ears were then have their voice heard
asked to register to vote about what happens to
— a "Pups to the Polls" gim- their generation," said Kei
mick that was just one of Kawashima-Ginsberg, di-
several similar events being rector of CIRCLE.
staged in 11 battleground That's what NextGen hopes.
states by the liberal group It has nearly 800 organizers
NextGen America. on 421 college campuses
Young people tend to vote in Wisconsin, Arizona, Cali-
for Democrats, but they fornia, Florida, Iowa, Michi-
also tend stay away dur- gan, Nevada, New Hamp-
ing midterm elections. It's a In this Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018 photo, NextGen America campus organizer Simone Williams, left, shire, North Carolina, Penn-
perennial frustration for the talks with Grace Austin, a junior at the University of Wisconsin, about how to register to vote in sylvania and Virginia. In
party — one they are trying Madison, Wis. NextGen used therapy dogs to attract students and register them to vote. Wisconsin alone, NextGen
to overcome as they seek Associated Press has 27 full-time workers and
to take control of Congress. 40 student fellows register-
NextGen America, formed The poll found young peo- students who registered numbers. ing voters on 26 campuses.
by billionaire activist Tom ple eager to vote for some- said they feel like their Since the last midterm Republicans recognize
Steyer, hopes to be a game one who shared their politi- friends are more interested election in 2014, 15 million the power that motivating
changer. Steyer is investing cal views on issues such as in politics than ever before post-millennials — those young voters could have
more than $30 million in health care and immigra- — boosting hopes of Dem- between the ages of 18 for Democrats, but they're
what's believed to be the tion policy. They expressed ocrats trying to reverse the and 21 — have become skeptical that participation
largest voter engagement far less excitement about trend of declining youth eligible to vote. But while will increase much. In Wis-
effort of its kind in U.S. his- voting for a candidate de- participation in midterm Generation X, millennials consin, Republicans have
tory. scribed as a lifelong politi- elections. and post-millennials make been targeting college
The push to register and cian. "We want them to know up the majority of voting- voters for years.
get pledges from college "If we all vote, we can make they need to show up and eligible adults nationwide, "Wisconsin Republicans win
students to vote is focusing a change," said 20-year-old when they do, we will win," they are not expected to by connecting with voters
on states such as Wiscon- Grace Austin, who stopped said NextGen's Wisconsin cast the most votes in No- directly where they are —
sin, Virginia, California and to pet the dogs at the Wis- director George Olufosoye. vember. and young voters are no
North Carolina with com- consin event and wound "We want them to know In the 2014 midterm, they different when it comes
petitive races for Congress, up registering to vote. they have power." cast 21 million fewer votes to that strategy," said Wis-
U.S. Senate and other of- Austin and other college They certainly have the than voters over age 54, consin Republican Party
fices. according to an analysis spokesman Alec Zimmer-
NextGen sees young voters by the Pew Research Cen- man.
such as Kellen Sharp as key ter. Turnout among 18- to Wisconsin has two of the
to flipping targeted seats 24-year-olds hit a 40-year nation's competitive and
from red to blue. low in 2014, bottoming out closely watched races.
"The outcome of this elec- at 17.1 percent, according Democratic Sen. Tammy
tion definitely affects us," to an analysis by the Cen- Baldwin is being chal-
said Sharp, an 18-year-old ter for Information and Re- lenged by GOP state Sen.
freshman from Milwaukee search on Civic Learning Leah Vukmir, while Republi-
who stopped to register and Engagement, or CIR- can Gov. Scott Walker fac-
during the dog event the CLE, at Tufts University. es a challenge from Demo-
week before classes start- NextGen points to higher cratic state schools chief
ed. "I'm just excited to have voter turnout on the Univer- Tony Evers. Polls show the
a voice and say some- sity of Wisconsin campus races to be a dead heat —
thing." for a spring state Supreme just the kind of competitive
A poll this summer by the Court election won by a lib- elections research shows
Associated Press-NORC eral, and spikes in turnout in excite younger voters.
Center for Public Affairs Re- other targeted races, to ar- "I've never seen anything
search and MTV found that gue that their push to reg- like this," said NextGen
most Americans ages 15 to In this Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018 photo, University of Wisconsin ister 122,000 young people worker and 2016 University
34 think voting in the mid- freshman Kellen Sharp, left, gets information about registering to vote is bearing fruit. of Wisconsin graduate Joe
term elections gives their to vote from NextGen America worker Sean Manning, right, in "We're trying really hard to Waldman. "I've never seen
generation some say about Madison, Wis. Associated Press have this be much more of the energy, passion and
how the government is run. an infrastructure, organi- activism there is now."q