NextGen North Carolina’s Get Out and Vote Program Helps Boost Youth Voter Turnout

NEXTGEN NORTH CAROLINA 2020 PRIMARY: BY THE NUMBERS

TOTAL PAID STAFF ON THE GROUND: 38
TOTAL VOLUNTEERS: 156
TOTAL CAMPUSES WITH PROGRAM: 33
TOTAL PLEDGE TO VOTE CARDS COLLECTED: 16,133
TOTAL TEXTS SENT: 49,498
TOTAL PIECES OF DIRECT MAIL SENT: 23,927
VOTERS REGISTERED: 5,373

With 92% of the ballots counted, Democrats surpassed their 2016 turnout levels, delivering a victory for former Vice President Joe Biden who carried all but 4 counties across the state. NextGen North Carolina built a strong on the ground program that helped turn out young voters across the state, with unique and buzzworthy events like “Poetry to the Polls” at UNC-Chapel Hill, “Do-nut Forget to Vote” at UNC-Charlotte and Western Carolina, and an #AVLVotes event at UNC-Asheville. In addition to a strong student-focused field program that worked across 33 campuses, NextGen North Carolina found young voters online and on their phones providing them with critical information about early voting and boosting voter turnout. On Tuesday, all that organizing led to increased turnout on campus precincts across the state. 

“Young people in North Carolina showed up to the polls and made clear they are ready for better representation in Washington,” said Harrison Peel, NextGen North Carolina State Director. “Donald Trump and Thom Tillis should be very concerned with today’s result – it shows just how motivated young people are to vote them out of office in November. ”

YOUTH VOTE TURNOUT SURGES IN 2020 

NextGen North Carolina tracked turnout in precincts located on or adjacent to campuses across the state and showed increased democratic excitement from young voters from Western Carolina to Chapel Hill. While Biden won nearly every demographic group, Senator Bernie Sanders continued trends from early states and won young voters by a 3-to-1 margin over Biden. Here’s a few selected campus precincts:

Precinct – CountyNearby CampusYouth Density2016 Dem Votes2020 Dem Votes2020-2016
Cullowhee – JacksonWestern Carolina72%6921322+630
141 – MecklenburgUNC-Charlotte91%402712+310
Northside (NS) – OrangeUNC-Chapel Hill75%276493+217
East Franklin (EA) – OrangeUNC-Chapel Hill87%125431+306
55-49 – DurhamNC Central96%274375+101
Boone 2 (6) – WataugaApp State95%143226+83

 

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NextGen North Carolina is committed to replacing Senator Thom Tillis, picking up the four seats in the State Senate and six seats in the State House needed to take control of both chambers, and defending Governor Roy Cooper in the State House in hopes of creating a Democratic trifecta. In 2018, NextGen North Carolina knocked on over 32,000 doors, sent over 226,000 texts to young voters, and organized on 16 campuses to boost young turnout and broke the Republican supermajority in the legislature. NextGen North Carolina is looking forward to flipping the state blue.