massachusetts

The following is cross-posted from my personal - and all too neglected - blog, (Nonprofits+Politics)2.0 and sums up my experience giving more generously than in any previous election. I hope you'll consider joining me in supporting your favorite candidates!

I have been asking for money for organizations or campaigns, or at least working for organizations and campaigns that ask for money, for a long time. Despite that, I rarely give. When I did give, it was been because someone I know was asking, which figures:

"Asked who could get them to donate to an organization, most Millennial donors say they would be likely or highly likely to give if asked by a family member (74.6%) or a friend (62.8 %). Only 37.8% would be likely or highly likely to give is asked by a coworker."

But lately, that's been changing; I've gotten a bit addicted to supporting progressive causes I believe in (e.g. here, here, here, here and more that hasn't been reported yet). Multiple, small contributions - aren't I just the millennial online donating cliche :)

Partially, it's because there's an incredibly important election happening in Massachusetts and I've been happy to give to Governor Deval Patrick because I appreciate that he's helped Massachusetts lead the country in access to healthcare, job creation, student achievement, and because his administration represents an important change of pace in Massachusetts government (actually passing reforms, working with unions to get concessions that work, closing the Mass Turnpike Authority [don't ask], and investing in infrastructure across the whole state).

But part of it's for another reason. It's the same reason I've been able to raise $335 for our volunteer-run Young Democrats of Massachusetts with no financial investment on our part - or more significantly, that Gov. Patrick has raised more than $1.3 million from nearly 6,000 contributors online. Online giving makes you feel good, and is good for you. And ActBlue is an incredibly easy way to make your campaign feel good, too.

For those not familiar with ActBlue, there are a few great benefits you should be aware of - and then you should sign-up:

Originally posted on Citizen Orange.

In case you missed it, the Associated Press recently covered our request for a meeting with Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.). We are asking Sen. Brown to meet with us before April 17.

Harvard College Act on a Dream has been trying to meet with Sen. Brown since he was first elected at the beginning of the semester. We were told that his office was a mess the first couple of months, but we were finally asked to fax our meeting request to his office. We sent the fax on March 5, 2010.

After not getting a commitment to a meeting for over a month, we were forced to take our meeting request public. We joined forces with the Student Immigrant Movement to set up an online petition which already has over 100 signatures (please sign it if you haven't done so, yet). The online petition resulted in coverage from the AP, and now our request is all over the web. We were happy to hear through the AP that his office has received our meeting request and will shortly ask for more information from us.

Still, it's going to take a lot more than an AP article and a hundred petition signatures to secure a meeting with Brown. Here are some things you can do to help:

1. SIGN the petition at change.org and ask all of your friends and family to do the same, especially if they are Massachusetts residents.
2. CALL Brown's D.C. office (202-224-4543) and his local office (617-565-3170) to ask whether or not Brown will meet with us before April 17.
3. JOIN the Facebook group and ask your Facebook friends to do the same
4. HELP us fight any misinformation or nativism that you see online regarding our meeting request.

Currently, we are not asking for any policy commitments from Sen. Brown. We are only asking for a simple meeting. We want Sen. Brown to hear the stories of immigrant youth who have been affected by the brokenfederal immigration system so that he can decide for himself what should be done. We believe that if Sen. Brown hears from these youth, who know only the United States as their home, that he will do the right thing.

While immigrant youth are at the center of this struggle, it is important to state that it's not just immigrant youth that are affected by this broken immigration system. I am a U.S. citizen, a constituent of Sen. Brown's, and this issue affects me more deeply than almost any other issue that the federal government is currently considering. It affects the U.S. citizen family members of these youth. It affects the peers that these youth study alongside of. It affects the communities they are a part of. It affects a nation which does not take advantage of some of the most talented individuals that it puts through its education system.

It is also important to state that contrary to nativist talking points, there is no "line" for undocumented youth to get into the back of in order to secure legal status. The same is true for the vast majority of all unauthorized migrants, for that matter. If undocumented youth could get in line for citizenship, they would, but they can't. That's a big part of why the system is broken and why it needs to be fixed.

So, when the AP publishes an article that the Boston Globe entitles "Immigrant Students seek meeting with Brown" and the Boston Herald distorts that headline into "Illegal aliens seek Scott Brown's help" first let the Boston Herald know that "no human being is illegal". Then, let the Boston Herald know that this issue doesn't just affect undocumented youth, it affects all of us. And finally, let all of those nasty nativist commenters know that there is no line for undocumented youth to get into the back of, and there is no humane way to deport them all. Undocumented youth are American in every sense of the word except for a stupid nine-digit social security number, and it is time that we start treating them as such, and give them the right to exist in the only country they know as their home.

Below is both the description and text of the petition I encourage you and all of your friends to sign.

Description:

Leaders of Harvard College Act on a Dream and the Student Immigrant Movement are asking Senator Scott Brown to to meet with immigrant youth from Harvard and across Massachusetts who are being adversely affected by the broken federal immigration system before April 17.

By some estimates, there are currently two million undocumented youth living in the United States. Every year approximately 65,000 undocumented youth graduate from high schools across the U.S. With graduation season fast approaching, yet another generation of undocumented immigrant youth will be lost to the shadows if something doesn't change.

Having been brought into the country as young children, these youth have lived most of the lives in the United States, and only know this country as their home. After graduating from high school, they face unique barriers to higher education, are unable to work legally in the U.S., and are increasingly at risk of detention, deportation, and even death. Under current U.S. immigration law, there is no absolutely no mechanism for considering the special circumstances of these youth.

We believe some of the following stories from undocumented youth across Massachusetts illustrate how desperate the situation is:

Last year, Nur Munir, our peer from the Harvard Divinity School, disappeared for over a month after he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Another one of our peers at Harvard, Alan, whose story was covered in the Boston Globe, was forced to leave the United States in January, effectively barring him from ever returning to the the only country he's ever known as his home. Another immigrant youth from Massachusetts, 19-year-old Gustavo Rezende recently committed suicide.

We believe these situations could have been avoided if it weren't for the broken federal immigration system. There are at least a dozen others at Harvard and thousands of others across Massachusetts that are at risk of similar fates if something isn't done soon.

We're asking Sen. Brown to meet with immigrant youth so that he can better understand the hardships the members of all our communities face as a result of a broken federal immigration system, and help us come up with solutions. We understand that Sen. Brown is extremely busy, but the lives of our peers and the health of our communities are at increasingly at risk with each passing day. This issue affects all of us, native born and immigrant, documented and undocumented alike. Please stand with us in calling for Sen. Brown to meet with immigrant youth before he returns to Washington D.C. on the weekend of April 17.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

After signing this petition you will get an email back from Jennifer Han, Director of Scheduling for Sen. Brown, asking you to fill out a form email for a meeting request. This is how we filled out the form an we encourage supporters to do the same:

Organization Name and Description: Harvard Act on a Dream - A Harvard student group that organizes for the interests of immigrant youth at Harvard and works closely with local immigrant youth organizations like the Student Immigrant Movement.

Contact Name and Title: Mr. Kyle de Beausset

Meeting Purpose (need specific issues): To hear the stories of immigrant youth affected by the federal immigration system.

MA Connection: We are all residents of Massachusetts

Meeting Location: Massachusetts

Work #: N/A

Cell #: Private

E-mail: beausset[at]fas[dot]harvard[dot]edu

Address: Harvard College Act On A Dream, Student Organization Center at Hilles, Box #59, Shepard Street Cambridge, MA 02138

Requested Date (no open-ended requests): April 16 (Or anytime before April 17)

Suggested Time: 5:00 p.m.

Meeting Attendee(s) Name, City of Residence, Title and Affiliation (if requestor is attending, please include his/her information): Leaders of Act on a Dream --- Kyle de Beausset (Cambridge, MA), Scott Elfenbein (Cambridge, MA), Melissa Tran (Cambridge, MA). Leaders of the Student Immigrant Movement -- Isabel (Methuen, MA), Deiv (Dartmouth, MA), Renata (Brockton, MA)

Letter:

Subject: Will Scott Brown Meet With Undocumented Youth Before April 17

Dear Jennifer Han,

It is my understanding that you are Director of Scheduling for Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown. I am writing to ask that you please schedule a meeting with Sen. Brown and select immigrant youth from Harvard and across Massachusetts before April 17.

The broken federal immigration system doesn't just affect immigrant youth, it affects all of us, native born and immigrant, documented and undocumented. It affects the health of the Massachusetts communities Sen. Brown represents. That is why I'm asking that Sen. Brown takes time out of his busy schedule to hear first hand from those that have been adversely affected.

This is urgent. Undocumented immigrant youth in the United States are increasingly at risk of detention, deportation, and even death. In the next couple of months, another generation of undocumented immigrant youth will graduate from high school, or even college, only to be relegated to the shadows.

One student from Harvard, Alan, whose story was covered in the Boston Globe, was forced to leave the United States in January, effectively barring him from ever returning to the the only country he's ever known as his home (http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/07/27/after_harvard_illegal_immigrant_is_facing_uncertainty/). Another immigrant youth from Massachusetts, 19-year-old Gustavo Rezende recently committed suicide (http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/features/x90198082/Immigrants-suicide-leaves-behind-pain).

I'm asking that Sen. Brown meet with select immigrant youth from Harvard and the broader Massachusetts area before there are more stories he's unable to hear in person. This affects all of us, and it's urgent that Sen. Brown hear the stories of immigrant youth now.

So, turns out if you do youth outreach in an election you have higher youth turnout. I know, right? Who knew!?

If you read my take on the returns from the Massachusetts special election for the US Senate race then you know that Mass had some issues with reaching out to young voters. There was some confusion about who was going to do it.. or if it was going to happen...

In the great state of Oregon we have a fantastic organization who has worked for years to get young voters to the polls. The Oregon Bus Project worked the hell out of it and the results were noticeable.

In Massachusetts they had a turnout of 15% of 18-29 year olds for the special election. In the Oregon's special election about 24% turnout of youth voters.

Caitlin Baggott from the Bus says that this is due to a few particularly important factors:

• A year-round and multi-year strategy,
• Populist messaging and policy development,
• Budget (actually spending money on youth outreach
• And finally, which I'll expand on, a focus on field and youth turnout

When it comes to a meaningful field outreach campaign Caitlin points to two major elements

• A strong field campaign matched with a strong media campaign. Oregon Student Association, the Bus Project, and the coordinated campaign registered 30,000 voters--primarily on campuses and youth-dense parts of Portland and Eugene. The campaign led a huge GOTV field program to knock on 300,000 doors. We all phonebanked the hell out of our lists. (The Bus got a "thank you" message today from a voter who decided to vote after getting 15 phone calls from us. Haha.)
• Can't say yet what youth turnout looks like (coming soon!) but we expect it to be better than VA and MA. We're hoping that the lesson for all of us in 2010 is that young people will vote if we (1) Re-Register them, and (2) invest in youth-oriented GOTV. OSA and the Bus executed a huge youth-focused voter registration program in Oregon, and the Bus did youth-focused mail, earned and paid media, and phonebanks. (Trick or Vote for the fall!)

So here's the thing. Do the outreach. I don't care what state you're in... it will make a difference and it could make the difference enough to win your election. Yesterday, was the Illinois special election and Julie Hamos who was running for Congress lost by 700 votes. Elections can be won or lost by young voters if you know how to do the outreach.

Please recommend this blog on DailyKos

CIRCLE has numbers about yesterday's vote in the special election for the US Senate seat in Massachusetts.

According to the briefing:

"Tisch College, Medford/Somerville, Mass - In the special election for Massachusetts Senator, young voters (age 18-29) preferred Democrat Martha Coakley over Republican Scott Brown by 58%-40% (with 2% for other candidates), according to a survey of 1,000 voters conducted on January 19, by Rasmussen Reports.

About 15% of Massachusetts citizens between the ages of 18-29 turned out to vote.* For citizens age 30 and older, turnout was about 57%.

For comparison: 25% of young citizens (age 18-29) voted in the 2008 Massachusetts presidential primaries, and 47.8% of young Massachusetts citizens voted in the 2008 presidential elections, according to CIRCLE’s analysis. Seventy-eight percent of under-30 voters in Massachusetts chose Barack Obama in the 2008 general election; 20% chose John McCain."

Part of me is angry that we lost this seat to someone who doesn't support the youth agenda, but the major part of me is that young people obviously supported Coakley but there was - according to one political insider - "zero" outreach from the Coakley campaign to young voters.

This didn't need to happen.

As one person reminded me - Massachusetts is a state with one of the largest student populations in the country. It is an embarrassment that there was such a huge resource available to the Coakley camp but it was cast aside.

I just did a Skype interview with the Millennials Changing America blog that is done by Mike Hais and Morley Winograd, authors of Millennial Makeover. I was asked by Alex what the biggest failures I've seen both from the White House and from Congress are and my response was that its been a total lack of outreach on their part to young people around meaningful policy initiatives.

Young people continue to be the largest supporters for the President, they continue to be the largest supporters for meaningful Health Care Reform, but not once did the White House or Congress reach out to youth leaders and say "What can we do to bring you into this debate?"

It begs the question - is the Democratic Party abandoning young people despite young people being their base of support?

UPDATE: This is interesting. I just got an email from a field organizer who said that many of the folks from a nearby state who were working on the ground moved over to Coakley's campaign to help. They specifically told the DSCC that they thought it might be helpful to mobilize around UMASS Amherst who were coming back to school this week. DSCC said - great we'll have our youth person give you a call - no one ever did. (Turns out... there is no youth person)

UPDATE 2: The Cook Report's @Dave_Wasserman has been tweeting about district breakdowns for results. Holyoke, MA (which is home to all-girls Mount Holyoke College and right in the middle of the cluster UMass Amherst, Amherst College, Hampshire College, and Smith) also failed to turn out the vote. As a friend who pointed this out said - The fact that two of those schools are all-girls and politically active, and Coakley didn't mobilize them, is shameful.

Peter Daou's piece on the Huffington Post today argues that Democrats have hurt themselves by creating the convergence of the extreme right wing and progressive activists and bloggers. Governing from a lack of grounded principles, writes Daou, makes the president, and thus Democrats, look weak regardless of the legislation passed.

The half of Peter's argument positing that Democrats whiffed on the decision to legitimize Rush Limbaugh by repeatedly taking him on from the Press Room of the White House is on point. Robert Gibbs ridiculed any little comment Limbaugh (or Beck or Michael Savage or other conservative hacks) made. Daou actually wrote the following back in March.

There's precious little benefit in making Limbaugh more of a central player, in engaging him directly from the White House podium, in raising his stature, in stamping, sealing and approving the years he's spent bashing his political opponents. There was a moment, a brief moment, after Barack Obama was elected president, a moment long gone, where the likes of Limbaugh and Hannity could have become marginalized, bit players rather than media movers and shakers, the detritus of a sorry era. But instead, they have been granted more power -- out of some contrived political calculus. This, at a time when we don't need political calculus, we need single-minded determination to get us out of this economic calamity and to restore sanity to our government.

I agree with Daou, with some additional perspective offered. The Obama campaign came into DC following one of the best campaigns ever run. They were disciplined, they knew their message, and nearly every risk they took played well in the end. Part of their "change" message entailed changing Washington, refusing to get into the trenches against the "vast right wing conspiracy." Reviewing where we were then and where we are now, something obviously pushed the Obama administration off track.

I think Daou makes a strong argument that part of it lies within the Obama administration's decision to attempt to use Limbaugh et al. as their punching bags. But I think we have to zoom out one more level and ask: if Obama and Co. wanted to change the way elections are run, why would they violate their principles on right wing crazies? Attacking a group with such little credibility does little for the change message. The message of unconventional, but actual change transformed into the slimy politics of old.

Furthermore, the Obama administration looks even weaker when we juxtapose their toughness against the extreme right-wing commentators with their mealy-mouthed approach to health care, the agenda item forming the heart of Obama's domestic policy.

There's quite a bit of advice entering the public forum today, so I'll offer my two cents as well. The Democrats need to get back to what works, and that's offering a politics that solves America's problems from a coherent, ideological set of principles. In addition, they need to communicate with their base, especially those young voters who put him over the top in 2008 (and the millions more who will be voting in 2012), to keep them posted on exactly what is going on and how they can help support the Obama agenda moving forward.

The reality is that the Democrats still have 59 seats in the Senate. As Jon Stewart explained the other night, the Democrats still have more seats in the Senate than Republicans had when Bush was able to do whatever the hell he wanted.

Bumped. --Mike

Cross-posted at Project Vote's blog, Voting Matters

Weekly Voting Rights News Update

By Erin Ferns

Reports and exits polls this entire political season have built a narrative of tremendous, even record-breaking voter participation, pushing us to believe that voter turnout in November will exceed all expectations.

Maybe.

The dirty secret of elections in America is that getting on the rolls, casting a ballot, and having that ballot counted is a complicated system adjudicated and carried out by more than 3,000 counties and towns and regulated by a complex mix of state and federal laws. In order for the expected record-shattering turnout to occur in November, all aspects of the system, from registration procedures to polling place systems to ballot counting procedures all need to work properly. However, those with an interest in suppressing turnout may disrupt the process at any one of those points. The biggest impact comes by preventing people from making it onto the voting rolls in the first place since no one can cast a ballot without being registered.

Unsurprisingly, politicians with partisan interests at heart are pushing states to raise barriers to the democratic process by enforcing laws that restrict voter registration drives and violate the Voting Rights Act. These election-related policies have disproportionately negative impact on young people and minorities – two groups that have historically suffered underrepresentation in the electorate. However, in an encouraging move aimed at lowering these kinds of barriers, the Massachusetts Senate passed a bill that would help enfranchise all voters on Election Day.

Restrictions on Voter Registration Drives
During presidential election years, efforts to register more citizens increase dramatically. However, several states impose various restrictions on voter registration drives, which in turn has a disproportionate impact upon youth and people with disabilities – two communities that commonly register to vote through such drives, according to Ben Adler of the Politico.

The swing state of New Mexico is under the most scrutiny for their drive policy and has recently been sued for unconstitutionally hindering the right to collect voter registrations under a 2005 election reform law.

“The activists contend that because the law creates criminal penalties for failing to meet its requirements – which even supporters acknowledge are stringent – it discourages groups from collecting registrations,” Adler wrote. New Mexico's excessively short 48 hour time frame to turn in a completed application and subsequent misdemeanor charge if the collector is late has reportedly stopped students who “'simply want to get out on campus and register their friends to vote.'” The Federal government recognizes the challenges imposed by short time lines: Under the National Voter Registration Act, state agencies are provided 10 days to turn in new applications.

Violations of the Voting Rights Act
Other voting rights issues that have recently been battled involve violations of the Voting Rights Act.
The U.S. Justice Department recently announced an agreement to protect Latino voters in New Jersey after a complaint was filed involving discrimination in the voting process. Puerto Rican voters in the Penns Grove borough had complained they were subject to racial comments and hostility as well as disproportionately asked for voter ID and turned away at the polls. It was the third lawsuit of this nature this year. The suit also alleged that Spanish-speaking voters were not provided Spanish-language election materials or enough aid from bilingual poll workers, also requirements of the Act. The agreement must still be approved by the court, the Justice Department press release said.

“The right to vote is a fundamental guarantee for all American citizens,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Christopher Christie. “The Division is committed to vigorously enforcing federal civil rights laws during the important election year and commends the county and borough for promptly and constructively resolving the matter.”

Asian voters in Massachusetts were not as successful in getting the state to provide fully sufficient bilingual ballots, according to a column by Adrian Walker of the Boston Globe. Advocates recently attempted to meet with Secretary of State William Galvin to gain his support for a proposed law requiring ballots be translated into Chinese and Vietnamese. The bill passed the Boston City Council earlier this year, but still requires legislative approval in order to ensure elderly Asian residents with limited English skills are not denied the right to vote in November.

“Voting is as American as apple pie,” said Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon. “This is something everyone should want to protect.”

However, Galvin - who the legislature looks to when considering election law - denied the group, as he has for the last year, according to Walker.

Despite swelling interest and rising registration rates among youth and minorities, there are significant and persistent barriers to their increased participation. The identification of these barriers should serve as a wake-up call in each state, pushing them to take steps to address the barriers and equip themselves to handle the influx of new voters this coming Election Day.

Voter Registration Surge and Election Day Chaos
An example of this swelling interest can be seen in one county in Florida where minority voters are beginning to balance their share of the electorate. This year alone in Lee County, Florida, black and Latino voters have increased by as much as 22 percent – more than double the increase among white voters, according to local publication, Fort Meyers News-Press.

“The increase in minority voter registration gives voice to people who haven't always been represented at the table,” the News-Press editorialized. “Whether it's the presence of a nontraditional candidate, the pressing economic conditions, or the war in Iraq, anything that inspires citizens to participate in the political process is beneficial.”

The unprecedented surge of voters expected to turn out in November could pose a major challenge for states, according to Stateline.org. The online news site, run by the Pew Research Center, raised concerns about poor ballot design and even last minute voter registration drives that could swamp understaffed offices, making it more difficult for voters to get on the rolls, let alone cast a ballot.

“People know it's going to be a historically high turnout. Whether they can do anything about it is another question,” said Dan Seligson of electionline.org, a Pew Center on the States project that provides analysis on election reform.

Smart Election Reform
While other states scramble to figure out how to accommodate the influx of voters and advocates ensure voting rights are protected, one state is pushing one of the most effective measures to expand access to democracy for all American citizens – Election Day Registration. On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Senate passed a bill that would allow voters to register and vote on Election Day. The bill, SB 2807 is currently in the House Ways and Means committee. If passed, Massachusetts would join the ranks of eight other EDR states, which have average turnout rates that exceed non-EDR states by as much as 12 percent. Three other states are considering EDR bills: New Jersey, New York and Ohio. To view these bills, visit www.ElectionLegislation.org.

There are several truly interesting things that happened this week that I think really show the effects and the power of Millennials have on this wild and crazy world. Some obscure in nature there are several little things that I’m just dying to comment on.

• MySpace has been sending out mass emails to its user list where it included info about the Spin and Helio Project dedicated to the reunion of the Smashing Pumpkins where MySpace has

  “gathered up 10 different artists to exclusively record tracks for a MySpace Tribute CD. Not only is this CD being premiered on MySpace exclusively, you can also get a free copy of the July issue of SPIN being released 6/26….” Extravaganza

  One of the things I first posted about in relation to Gen M was their purchase power and power of the purse - specifically in relation to the piece about the new perfume CK’s IN2U. Millennials are one of the strongest and most powerful consumer groups and marketing specifically to them is generally seen as a sure investment in success and cult like followings. But making that leap from a virtual world to the real world is a whole different thing and marketing a traditional CD and magazine via MySpace is curious to me. If the CD was downloadable via iTunes and the Mag was online (it is but I mean more features or something for free sign-ups) then I see it being more successful.

  But I’m curious about what FM readers think the drop off might be for Gen M’s online vs. IRL purchases for thinks like the SP CD. There seems, to me at least, to be a huge jump from these two worlds and web engagement doesn’t necessarily equate actual participation from behind the computer and I’m curious if anyone knows to what degree this is true for purchase power.

• Yesterday,Massachusetts lawmakers killed the anti-gay marriage bill in their state that was aimed at babysteps to reduce the old law making it legal for all people to get hitched.

  “The bill would have placed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage on the ballot for voter consideration in November of 2008. The defeat keeps intact the 2003 ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Court that mandated the institution of gay marriages. Daniel reports

  Notably the bill sunk by a vote of 45 to 151 which is rather nicely done in my neck of the woods that’d be flipped.

  “The vote came after House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, Senate President Therese Murray, and Governor Deval Patrick conferred this morning and concluded that they have the votes to kill the proposal.” the article said

  Deval Patrick had enormous support from young people (clearly all people) in the last election. His website is considerably well organized into issue based participation which I’m sure only increases the Gen M folks who participate - but Daniel says it best:

  “the longer residents of Massachusetts live with gay marriage…and realize that it has no real impact on their relationships and their families…the more difficult it will be to overturn. Adding to that rationale is evidence that young voters are overwhelmingly in favor of gay marriage…a factor that will increasingly impact the debate as it will behoove politicians to be mindful of public sentiment.”

• A new documentary is slated for release that introduces

  “a new generation of voters who don’t remember the old Clinton wars”

  by the tireless attempts by conservatives who have nothing better to do.

  “He points out that someone who is 18 today was “4 years old when the travel-office scandal broke.” These young voters, he predicts, will be hungry for Hillary dirt, new and old. “There’s an enormous market for Hillary Clinton information,” he tells NEWSWEEK.” MSNBC

  Clinton Derangement Syndrome (as mentioned by Mr. Strannix) I don’t see as being something young people are really going to connect with. Why? Well instinct for one. Actual thought is that Gen M seems to be remarkably hip to most things that are BS. I’d be interested to see the response by unaffiliated Gen M voters on this documentary.
• And finally - the CAP is having a shindig this weekend for young Latinos in the progressive communitiy. There will be food - just fyi - but the interest I have is in the continuing efforts being made to look at GOTV and engagement tactics for the Latino community.

  My boss reminded me this week and as we’ve mentioned here before the Hispanic/Latino population in America is a young group of people. Average age is like 24. And

  “Every year since the 2000 elections an average of 425,000 native-born Latinos has turned 18 years old and become eligible to vote. While Latinos make up 8% of eligible voters, they represent 12% of the electorate that is between 18 and 24 years old.”

  I think with more states passing EDR (because who really wants to stop someone’s right to vote anyway?) and smarter better mobilization among progressive GOTV and registration groups in target states we actually stand a chance of seriously increasing GOTV for this specific group of young people.

Hope ya’ll have a fantastic Friday!