NextGen America Celebrates Ten Years of Empowering Young Voters

Nation’s largest youth voting org celebrates a decade of historic growth and progress

Washington, DC — Today, NextGen America is celebrating its ten year anniversary, marking a decade of education, activism, and building youth engagement in our democracy. In 2013, NextGen America started mobilizing young people on climate justice, one of the most salient and important issues of our time. Now, years later, the work has expanded to include other causes like economic justice, abortion rights, and LGBTQIA+ rights among others, that ignite the largest and most diverse generation in American history.

Throughout NextGen’s lifetime, the organization has established itself as the home of the youth vote, registering over 1.5 million voters and contacting millions more. As NextGen organizers on the ground and online have built the organization’s reach over the years, one thing is abundantly clear – young people are the future of our civic landscape and are determined to create a better, more just world. When young people turn out, they overwhelmingly support candidates who tackle issues that matter to young people head-on.

“NextGen was founded ten years ago with the belief that young people’s courage and imagination would be vital in order to tackle our country’s biggest challenges,” NextGen America President Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez said. “Today, it’s never been more clear the impact and importance young people have on our democracy. When you give young people the tools, education, and resources they need to turn out, they show up at historic levels to defend our most basic rights and build a better future for all. It’s been an incredible ten years, and we won’t stop organizing and growing our youth-led movement until we build a government that respects us, reflects us, and represents us.”

“I’m very excited about the ten year anniversary of NextGen America,” United States Congressman from Florida Maxwell Frost said. “NextGen has been doing such amazing work to ensure that young people feel empowered and have the resources they need to go out and make their voices heard at the ballot box. I learned so much about NextGen when they were a powerful force on the UCF campus in my district, and they continue to be a force across the entire country.”

“Happy tenth anniversary NextGen America,” United States Congresswoman from California Katie Porter said. “To all the organizers, leaders, activists, volunteers, and youth who dedicate their time to improve our democracy – thank you. Too often young people are discouraged from participating in politics with dismissals like ‘you don’t have enough experience to understand that,’ or ‘when you get older you’ll have a better opinion,’ but I think that is all B.S. – young people have just as much of a stake in our democracy as anyone else. It’s youth who are driving the discussion on important issues like the cost of housing, climate change, and gun violence prevention. I’ve spoken up about the need for multi-generational leadership, for people who understand the problems America faces today, will face tomorrow, and will fight accordingly. Congratulations to NextGen America for all you’ve achieved so far, and I can’t wait to join you in turning out even more young voters in 2024.”

“I want to wish NextGen America an amazing tenth birthday of organizing, getting out the vote, and making sure young peoples’ voices are heard,” United States Congressman from Texas Greg Casar said. “It has been young people that have transformed our politics to make sure that Black Lives Matter, that we take care of our immigrant communities, and that we save our planet from the climate crisis. If we’re going to stand up to oligarchy, authoritarianism, and environmental collapse, the only way I think we can do it as a society is if we are pushed by young people and if young people transform our elections to make sure our democracy takes care of everyone.”

Leading up to 2024, NextGen aims to contact millions of young voters to build on the momentum of young people eager to participate in our democracy and build a government that works for all of us.

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About NextGen America
NextGen America is the leading national organization for engaging young people through voter education, registration and mobilization. We invite 18-to-35 year olds — the largest and most diverse generation in American history — into our democracy to ensure our government works for them and to find new solutions to the dire challenges facing our society and the world. Since 2013, NextGen America has registered more than 1.5 million young voters and contacted 9.6 million young eligible voters during the historic 2022 midterm elections.