CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, September 17, 2018 — What will it take to get young voters to the polls? A report released by Nonprofit VOTE demonstrates that turnout among the young voters contacted by nonprofits was 5.7 percentage points higher than comparable young voters. “Because political campaigns have limited resources and time, they focus their communications on ‘likely’ voters meaning young people get only a fraction of the communication other voters get. And without that outreach, young, potential voters don’t show up on Election Day and the whole cycle starts over again.” says Brian Miller, Executive Director at Nonprofit VOTE.

With support from Forefront, The Resurrection Project continues to expand its nonpartisan voter engagement efforts. The young people within our communities have a voice that cannot — and will not — be discounted. Registering people to vote is one way TRP empowers the communities we serve with a vehicle to make a difference civically as U.S. citizens.

Youth Vote is The Resurrection Project’s youth-led voter registration initiative. Youth Vote seeks to increase civic participation among high school students in underserved communities and change the perception that young people are unwilling to participate in voter registration, civic engagement and vote in the communities they live in. The goal of this initiative is to get as many young people to register to vote as soon as they become eligible by organizing youth-led voter registration, voter education, and Get Out the Vote campaigns. Through partnerships with surrounding high schools, Cook County Board of Elections, and as a certified Chicago Public School Service Learning Community Partner, TRP guides and mentors students through leadership development courses and trainings to support the organizing of registrations and campaigns. This civic engagement opportunity gives students leadership skills and educates them on the importance of civic participation. Youth Vote is active in Back of the Yards High School, Benito Juarez High School, and Farragut High School, and TRP continues to expand this model to other high schools throughout Chicago’s Southwest side.

This initiative is part of our Vision 2020 Strategic Plan which is directly supported from the many donors and supporters that contribute to our Imagine More Campaign. TRP would especially like to thank Forefront for their unique support.