NextGen America

ICYMI: NextGen America: 1 Week, 5,500+ Students Registered in Battleground States

Last week, NextGen America launched its back-to-school voter registration campaign that aims to register 9,000 new and returning students on college campuses across the country. One week in, we’re already more than halfway toward that goal after registering 5,557 young voters across battleground states. 

Here are some highlights from last week’s back-to-school efforts:

  • NextGen Pennsylvania led all states with 1,462 new voter registrations from three back-to-school events — at the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State, and Temple University. Young people are building off the momentum of 2018’s successes in the Keystone State to flip it back to the blue column in the 2020 presidential election. 
  • Close behind on the voter registration tally was NextGen Virginia with 1,160. The NextGen team at James Madison University, home to the competitive HD-26 race between Democratic challenger Brent Finnegan and GOP. incumbent Tony Wilt, registered 362 voters. With a previously announced $1 million investment in the future of the Commonwealth, we are determined to secure blue majorities across both chambers in the November 5th state legislative elections.
  • In Iowa, we registered over 900 voters — and they are ready to unseat Joni Ernst, who continues to shirk young people for her NRA donors. Meanwhile, Steve King’s anemic fundraising numbers are just the start of his troubles in IA-04 — we registered 150 students at Iowa State University and will be on campus throughout the next year registering many more. NextGen Iowa also registered 70 voters in just one day at Grinnell College in newly competitive IA-02.
  • In one week, 1,864 young New Hampshire voters pledged to vote with NGA, refusing to let Governor Chris Sununu’s student suppression tactics get in the way of their enthusiasm. These Granite State voters will be making an impact on their first-in-the-nation primary before replacing Sununu and defending Jeanne Shaheen’s seat in the Senate in November 2020.
  • In Arizona, where racist Joe Arpaio has decided to take another go-round at the Maricopa County ballot and Martha McSally is already underwater in the polls, NextGen registered 541 new Arizona State students to vote in just two days. Young people defeated McSally last year, and we are going to win again in 2020.

It’s clear from just one week on campus that the 2018 #youthvote surge wasn’t a fluke. Young people are the key to flipping the Senate, defending the House, and booting Donald Trump from office — and they’re determined to make a difference not only in the general election, but in the presidential primary too.

Stay tuned for big numbers out of week 2!

— The NextGen Team