2006 Press Releases
November 8, 2006
Young Voter Turnout Up for the Second Major Election in a Row
Washington, D.C. –Turnout among 18-29 year old voters increased by more than 2 million voters in the 2006 elections compared to 2002, according to an early exit poll analysis released today as part of the first comprehensive look at the youth vote in the midterm elections, presented by Young Voter Strategies. At least 10 million votes were cast by this age group in 2006 compared to 8 million in 2002, and the vote counts are still coming in. Youth-dense precincts that were targeted by Get-Out-the-Vote campaigns showed even larger increases. Turnout more than doubled in the 36 precincts where groups like the nonpartisan Student PIRG’s New Voters Project actively turned out this age cohort.
November 1, 2006.
18-24 Yeat Olds Poised to Challenge Midterm Election Turnout Records, Harvard Poll Finds
President Bush Gets Below-Average Grade of "C-" on Key Issues; Majority of Likely Voters Favor Switch to Democratic Majority in Congress.
November 1, 2006
18-24 Year Olds Poised to Challenge Midterm Election Turnout Records, Harvard Poll Finds
Washington, DC – A new national poll by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics (IOP),
located at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, finds nearly a third (32%) of 18 to 24 year
olds “definitely” plan on voting in the upcoming midterm elections, a proportion that will likely
amount to the highest turnout percentage for this age group in any midterm election in the last
twenty years. The poll also finds that young people continue to disapprove of the job George W.
Bush is doing as President, with the President averaging a grade of “C-”on seven key issues
facing America, with the lowest mark coming on his handling of the War in Iraq (D+). Finally,
18-24 year olds seem to favor a swapping of majority parties in Congress, as a majority of likely
voters (52%) said they favor a Congress controlled by Democrats following the November
elections.
September 25, 2006
WWE's Smackdown Your Vote! Encourages Voter Registration Using Mobile Phones
STAMFORD, Conn., September 25, 2006- World Wrestling Entertainment®’s Smackdown Your Vote! today launched an online voter registration campaign to encourage young adults to register to vote using their mobile phones. To read the full press release, please click here.
September 20, 2006
FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The war in Iraq, national security, the perceived downturn in the economy and the increasingly high cost of education are weighing heavily on the minds of young Americans. And they’re paying attention to whether candidates are addressing issues of importance to them.
Those issues, and others, will influence the way in which 18-to-30 year-olds will vote in the November election, according to a nationwide survey of young Americans conducted September 4-16, 2006 by the Sacred Heart University Polling Institute, in partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment®’s Smackdown Your Vote!® initiative. The Stamford-based WWE® initiated the “Smackdown Your Vote!” campaign in 2000 to encourage young people to become engaged in the democratic process and exercise their right to vote, with partners including the League of Women Voters, National Association of Secretaries of State, the Harvard Institute of Politics, and 18to35. To read the full release, please click here.
September 20, 2006
Young Voter Strategies Releases GW-Young Voter Battleground Poll
Washington, D.C. -With the 2006 elections just over six weeks away, young voters are most focused on education and the cost of college, jobs and the economy, and the war in Iraq, but are not hearing enough from either parties’ candidates on most of these important issues, according to a new poll released today by The George Washington University’s Young Voter Strategies (YVS) in collaboration with GW-Battleground pollsters. The poll, which catalogues young adults’ attitudes in the 2006 election cycle, shows that young voters are engaged—80 percent are registered to vote—and eager to hear more from candidates on issues including college affordability, job creation, energy independence, and health care. To read the full release, please click here.
September 12, 2006
New Poll of Young Voters' Political Attitudes to be Unveiled at News Conference
What: On September 20th at 10 a.m., Young Voter Strategies will unveil the results of a new poll that catalogues 18-30 year olds’ attitudes in the 2006 election cycle, including top issue concerns, party preference, and young voters’ opinion on the direction of our country.
Who:
-Ed Goeas, President & CEO of The Tarrance Group
-Celinda Lake, President of Lake Research Partners
-Heather Smith, Director of Young Voter Strategies
When: Wednesday September 20, 2006 at 10 a.m.
Please RSVP and direct questions to Kathleen Barr, Young Voter Strategies: katbarr@gwu.edu, 202-994-9528.
Where: The George Washington University’s Marvin Center, Room 402/404
800 21st Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20052
September 6, 2006
Seven Simple Steps to Voting in 2006-Click Your Way to Election Day
WASHINGTON, DC -- Eligible voters across the United States can click their way to a worry-free Election Day this year thanks to a Web site that provides all of the information voters need to cast their ballots in 2006. Voters who log on to www.canivote.org will find a step-by-step guide to voting and an abundance of voter resources, including links to online voter registration lookup tools and polling place locators and an interactive directory of election officials.
August 30, 2006
Washington, D.C. – Beginning this week, dozens of voter mobilization groups are blanketing college campuses with volunteers as students return to school for the fall. On more than 150 college campuses nationwide, volunteers are hitting the dorms, classrooms, quads, dining halls, parties, concerts, and bus stops to register young voters. This campus effort is part of Young Voter Strategies’ (YVS) nationwide non-partisan project to register 350,000 18-30 year olds—both on campus and in communities nationwide—in 2006, a year that is seeing the largest non-partisan investment ever put into midterm election youth voter mobilization efforts.
August 15, 2006
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) today launched the first-ever national voter education campaign to provide eligible voters from all 50 states with the information they need to cast their ballots in 2006 -- all on one Web site. The campaign's centerpiece, http://www.canivote.org, is a one-stop shop that provides voters with step-by-step instructions for voting no matter where in the United States they live.
May 16, 2006
Energy, Education, Economy: Young Voters’ Top Concerns in ’06
Washington, D.C.: Leading up to the 2006 elections, young voters are concerned about the same issues as older Americans—jobs and the economy, education, and energy—and respond most favorably to candidates who frame issues in ways relevant to young adults, according to a new poll released today by The George Washington University’s Young Voter Strategies (YVS) in collaboration with the GW-Battleground pollsters. The poll, the first to catalogue young adults’ attitudes in the 2006 election cycle, also found that nearly three-quarters of 18-30 year olds intend to vote in November 2006.
April 25, 2006
RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman and DNC Chairman Howard Dean Featured in New Smackdown Your Vote! Podcasts
Stamford, Conn., April 25, 2006 – Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman and Democratic National Committee Chairman Governor Howard Dean share their views on issues critical to voters under 30 in two new podcasts from Smackdown Your Vote! The podcasts and streaming video versions of the interviews can be found at smackdownyourvote.com and on iTunes.
April 6, 2006
The Ultimate College Fair Returns to Miami Beach
New York, April 2006 –Florida high school students will enjoy the college planning process when they attend the CollegeBound Expo held on April 22nd at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Hosted by The CollegeBound Network and CB Teen Magazine, this free event will not only aid students in their transition to college, but also get them excited while they learn and discover all aspects of college life. It provides four hours of fun with extensive college planning and decision-making resources on hand.
March 22, 2006
GW’s Young Voter Strategies Announces Winners of Multi-Million Dollar Voter Registration Competition
Washington, D.C.: Building on the historic young voter turnout in the 2004 elections, The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) today announced the winners of the first-ever national competition to support innovative nonpartisan strategies to register young voters ages 18 to 29.
March 1, 2006
March 2006 Declared "Young Voter Month"
Washington, D.C.: Voter outreach groups are celebrating "Young Voter Month" this March, the 35th anniversary of 18-20 year olds winning the right to vote.