NextGen America

Our Impact

Who We Are

At NextGen America, we know it has always taken the courage and imagination of young people to ensure we can tackle our country’s biggest challenges. Our nation needs that courage to solve climate change, racial injustice, economic inequality, and to save democracy itself. Year after year, we’ve seen that courage in young people across this country — we’ve made it our mission to harness that power for progress.

The youth vote has shown up election after election and pushed for historic advocacy victories in gun safety, student debt relief, the Respect for Marriage Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and more.

From the start, NextGen has been the home of the youth vote. Take a look at our impact.

NextGen Timeline

2013

Tom Steyer establishes NextGen Climate to support candidates and policies that take action against climate change.

Young people, and especially young people of color, will be hit hardest by climate disaster. NextGen commits to be part of the solution.

2023 (& beyond)

Today, NextGen America is the nation's largest youth voter organization.

We are a multi-issue and multi-racial organization that has championed the youth vote by getting millions of young people to the polls. We dive into our movement with renewed hope and energy because we know it was the youth vote that showed up in election after election and has pushed for historic advocacy victories in gun safety, student debt relief, the Respect for Marriage Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and more. If there's one thing we know, it's that young voters are up to face the challenges that confront our generation. We've done it before and well do it again.

2022

NextGen mobilizes in eight key states for the midterm elections: Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin — even getting involved in the Georgia runoffs too!

Alongside the work directly in our states, we run one of the largest distributed and digital voter outreach programs ever — including a groundbreaking partnership with college athletes — to ensure the youth vote is heard in every corner of this country.

We made nearly 1.5 million calls, sent 23 million texts, engaged a volunteer base of 28,000, and built a potential influencer audience of over 180 million.

2021

We keep the drumbeat going as we gear up for the midterms.

This cycle, we send 10,625,308 texts, make 672,680 calls, and activate a community of 6,709 volunteers.

2020

By 2020, NextGen has registered over 1.4 million young people to vote.

This year alone, we contact 10.5 million young voters and drive 4.7 million to the polls in 16 key states — leading to the largest youth voter turnout in U.S. history, electing President Biden to the White House, and flipping the U.S. Senate to Democratic control. We launch the first-ever youth-vote-focused influencer program, connecting us with young voters like never before.

2019

We register and turn out young voters across Virginia in the statewide elections.

Our organizers register 8,442 young Virginians to vote in 2019 alone, mobilizing 542 volunteers throughout Virginia to help get out the vote.

2018

NextGen makes history with the youth vote (again).

By registering 257,857 voters, knocking on over 1 million doors, sending 9.1 million texts, and recruiting 16,009 volunteers across 11 key states, we contribute to the largest youth midterm election turnout in history, flipping the U.S. House of Representatives to Democratic control.

2017

NextGen Climate expands our mission and relaunches as NextGen America!

We double down on our commitment to fight for progressive solutions to economic and social justice issues, which deeply impact young people.

2016

Once again, we prove the power of the youth vote by registering 1,018,063 voters, sending over 7.2 million text messages, and recruiting 12,828 volunteers nationwide for races in 13 key states.

2015

NextGen makes it a priority to advocate for young people in non-election years, becoming a key player in passing President Obama's Clean Power Plan and rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline.

We leverage our power through the 50 x 30 campaign, encouraging Presidential candidates to pledge to move our nation to 50% clean energy by 2030.

2014

NextGen hits the ground running and engages in the 11 key states where young people were underrepresented in the electorate, pledging over 270,000 people to vote.

2013

Tom Steyer establishes NextGen Climate to support candidates and policies that take action against climate change.

Young people, and especially young people of color, will be hit hardest by climate disaster. NextGen commits to be part of the solution.

2023 (& beyond)

Today, NextGen America is the nation's largest youth voter organization.

We are a multi-issue and multi-racial organization that has championed the youth vote by getting millions of young people to the polls. We dive into our movement with renewed hope and energy because we know it was the youth vote that showed up in election after election and has pushed for historic advocacy victories in gun safety, student debt relief, the Respect for Marriage Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and more. If there's one thing we know, it's that young voters are up to face the challenges that confront our generation. We've done it before and well do it again.