Dear Candidate,
As an organization devoted to uplifting the largest and most diverse generation in American history, we are reaching out to you to affirm a shared commitment to addressing the pressing issues of our time. We extend this pledge inviting you to stand with us as a champion for young voters across the nation.
Raised amidst a climate crisis, an unjust economy, and unrelenting attacks on our most basic rights, our generation clearly understands the stakes of the current moment. In consequence, we have shown up at historic levels in recent election cycles, both on the streets and at the ballot box, to address these pressing issues and fight for a more equitable future for all. We have achieved unbelievable victories, but we know that much work remains to be done.
As we continue to press for a more equitable future, we invite you to join us by pledging to be a champion for young people. In signing onto The Youth Champion Pledge, you will affirm your commitment to prioritizing young voters’ concerns and actively advocating for legislative action on the issues that impact our lives.
Our policy priorities include:

We believe climate change is the defining challenge of our time. Young people, and especially young people of color, face the brunt of climate change. We applaud the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, and urge equitable implementation that will support communities most in need.
<ul>
<li>We support a transition to 100-percent clean energy by 2030 as the ultimate goal and long-term solution to solving the climate crisis. 
</li>
<li>We want our elected leaders to stand up to polluters, increase investment in new tech and research, and pave the way for a clean energy future that prioritizes the generation that will have to live with it.</li>
</ul>

We believe the student debt crisis is a moral issue. Higher education should present an opportunity for Americans to expand the possibilities ahead of us, not create a financial burden that drags us down for decades. We must make it accessible to attend college and provide relief from staggering debt.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">President Joe Biden has approved the cancellation of up to $20,000 in federal student debt for Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for other borrowers making less than $125,000 per year, and has moved to cancel billions in debt for defrauded student borrowers. We believe that additional cancellation in student loan debt will help close the racial wealth gap and help those with the most debt and highest interest rates. With more widespread cancellation, the economy would receive a boost as more people have the opportunity to invest money, buy a home, save for retirement and start small businesses.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">We believe the United States needs to modernize its education system. This includes greater accessibility to higher education, and it’s why we support free tuition for public two- and four-year colleges.</li>
</ul>

We believe that billionaires don’t need a raise, the American people do. Our government&#8217;s obsession with tax cuts for the wealthy is not just selfish — it’s wrong for our economy and our families. We must build an economy that works for everyone — not just the wealthy few. We also fully support the unionization of workers, safe working conditions, and better benefits/policies that prioritize workers over big corporations.
<ul>
<li>We support the unionization of workers and raising the national minimum wage to $15 per hour.</li>
<li>We also support a tax code in which the wealthiest households and corporations pay their fair share. This will help in decreasing inequality and allow people with lower incomes to keep more of their money.</li>
<li>We urge our leaders to support pro-worker legislation, including the PRO Act that would strengthen union rights and protect workers by giving them a collective voice.</li>
<li>For decades, efforts to undermine unions have fueled economic and racial inequality and made workplaces more dangerous. Together, we can create safe, equitable jobs by investing in our workers through education, job training and a living wage.</li>
</ul>

We believe that abortion should be safe, legal, and accessible. We believe Roe v. Wade was settled law, and abortion access is a constitutional right. Everyone deserves to choose if, when, and how to get pregnant. To protect young people in America, the choice to get pregnant must be protected.
<ul>
<li>We support legal access to abortion and legislation that upholds and expands access. We oppose laws and legal rulings and interpretations that restrict or ban abortion. Specifically, we urge our leaders to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act into law.</li>
<li>We believe in protecting reproductive healthcare, like access to contraceptives such as Plan B, IUDs, and birth control pills.</li>
</ul>

We are committed to dismantling systems of oppression and discrimination. Americans under 35 are the most diverse generation in American history, and we believe in uplifting issues, organizations and movements that fight for racial justice.
<ul>
<li>Specifically, we support federal legislation to legalize marijuana and expunge criminal records for marijuana use and/or possession at the national level.</li>
<li>We also support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to create comprehensive reform to policing in the U.S. by providing necessary measures to protect Black and brown Americans from police brutality.</li>
<li>We also call on our leaders to end qualified immunity and restore Americans’ ability to obtain relief when state and local officials, including police officers, violate their legal and constitutionally secured rights.</li>
<li>Our broken criminal justice system reinforces racial inequities and fuels mass incarceration. We must transform our justice system to be more equitable and humane while keeping our communities safe.</li>
<li>Incentivize states to cut their incarcerated population by 50 percent while supporting massive investments in housing, drug treatment, diversion, education, and health programs.</li>
</ul>

We believe that LGBTQ+ communities, especially LGTBQ+ youth, should have access to gender-affirming healthcare, safe public spaces free from bullying and discrimination, and communities where everyone can thrive and feel safe.
<ul>
<li>We are calling for federal protections for all LGBTQ+ people in housing, health care, education, and public accommodations across the country by passing the Equality Act.</li>
<li>We believe in federal protections to protect the rights, dignity, and safety for LGBTQ+ people to live openly and freely — especially for Black trans women, who face disproportionate violence.</li>
<li>Equal means equal. All means all. Young Americans believe this, and they demand a government that does, too.</li>
</ul>

We believe gun violence prevention and common-sense laws are essential to keep young people and our communities safe.
<ul>
<li>We’re advocating for policies including expanded background checks, banning assault weapons, enacting extreme risk laws, outlawing 3D guns and ghost guns, ending gun industry immunity, and promoting safe storage of firearms to keep guns out of dangerous hands.</li>
<li>We know gun violence is a deeply intersectional issue, disproportionately impacting communities of color, LGTBQ+, and immigrant individuals and we’re calling on our leaders to address this crisis urgently.</li>
<li>No more living in fear — our youth-led movement is calling on our leaders to embrace a future free from gun violence.</li>
</ul>

We believe in comprehensive immigration reform that is centered on protecting the rights of immigrants and their families. We are advocating for policies that welcome immigrants and respect their rights.
<ul>
<li>In particular, we’re urging Congress to pass the American Dream and Promise Act and other legislation that protects DACA recipients and other immigrant youth.</li>
<li>Immigrants and asylum seekers deserve to be treated with dignity. It’s time to build a just immigration system and permanent pathway to citizenship that lives up to the values America aspires to achieve.</li>
</ul>

We are building a movement of young leaders to deliver transformative change and defend our democracy. We believe that voting — including same-day voter registration, absentee voting, voting by mail, and early voting — should be as accessible as possible.
<ul>
<li>Young people and people of color are disproportionately impacted by voter suppression because we’re the most prominent threat to GOP electoral power.</li>
<li>Enough is enough. We stand against attacks on our democracy including the January 6th Insurrection and racist voter suppression laws and gerrymandering — and we call on our leaders to protect voting rights now.</li>
<li>We believe the Protect the Youth Vote Act and the Youth Voting Rights Act are essential to ensure specific protections for young voters — and urge Congress to pass comprehensive voting rights legislation.</li>
<li>Support the elimination of the filibuster and the expansion of the Supreme Court.</li>
</ul>

We believe young Americans should be involved in all aspects of the policy and political process including as staffers in the federal government and formalizing methods for engagement with Young Americans.
<ul>
<li>We urge our leaders to enact the Youth in Gov proposal to create an Office of Young Americans within the Executive Office of the President, led by a director who sits on the Domestic Policy Council and a Young Americans Advisory Council.</li>
<li>We call on the White House to establish a Young Americans Advisory Council.</li>
<li>The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 included report language supporting the creation of an Office of Young Americans and conducting a Young Americans Inclusion Assessment. We support the White House implementing this language promptly.</li>
<li>We support concrete steps to empower youth in existing administrative positions including but not limited to: Dedicating a staffer in the Presidential Personnel Office to the hiring of young Americans; creating an inter-agency working group; and requiring each agency/department to evaluate opportunities to increase coordination, communication, and engagement with.</li>
</ul>

Young people are not just the future of this country; we are also the here and now. We recognize the power of our collective voice to drive change and create a more just and prosperous nation for all. We invite you to join our movement by signing this pledge to center the concerns of young voters and address the issues impacting our lives.
Together, we have the ability to enact meaningful change and shape a nation that not only respects and reflects us but represents the voices of all Americans. Let us seize the moment and work towards a future that embodies our shared values and aspirations.

Paid for by NextGen Climate Action Committee; nextgenpac.org; not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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Sign the Pledge: Champion the Youth Agenda While in Office

Climate Change and Environmental Justice

Student Debt Cancellation and Access to Education

Economic Justice

Abortion Rights and Reproductive Justice

Criminal Justice and Police Reform

LGBTQ+ Rights

Gun Violence Prevention

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Defending Democracy

Youth Representation

Champion the Youth Agenda