Voting & Democracy News

TexPIRG, College Republicans and University Democrats Team Up to Mobilize Youth Vote

Download a video of the event. (Windows Media Player)

Austin, TX - TexPIRG and the college Democrats and Republicans teamed up at the University of Texas, Austin today to mobilize the campus youth vote. 

The ‘I Heart Voting’ event featured students dressed as elephant and donkey valentines who circled the campus in a ‘pedicab’ and urged their peers to vote.  Student volunteers dressed in bright red ‘I Vote’ shirts also stopped students in the West Mall of campus and asked their passing peers to sign a pledge to vote. 

“The voices of young people across the country has been heard loud and clear this election,” said Lilly Weinberg, Regional Coordinator for TexPIRG’s New Voters Project.  “Now Texastheir turn.” youth will get

From Iowa to California; Wisconsin to Texas, student leaders with the project have worked around the clock to ensure that young people turn out to the polls this primary season.  These efforts have helped propel a surge in youth turnout across the  nation.

Combining creative campus events, with -proven on the ground peer-to-peer operations and 21st century technology,  today’s event is the latest in a national grassroots effort spearheaded by the Student PIRGs’ New Voters Project to mobilize young voters across the country.

“Even though Republicans and Democrats disagree on a lot,” concluded Weinberg as she watched the costumed donkey and elephant valentines circle campus.  “Everyone agrees that we love young people voting.” 

###

The mission of the Texas Public Interest Research Group (TEXPIRG) is to deliver persistent, result-oriented public interest activism that protects consumers, encourages a fair, sustainable economy, and fosters responsive, democratic government.

The Student PIRGs’ New Voters Project is the nation’s largest youth voter mobilization program.  Since 2004, we have registered more than 600,000 young people and made more than 650,000 peer to peer voter turnout contacts to get young people to the polls on Election Day. Due in large part to our efforts, the youth vote increased by 4.3 million votes, or 9% in 2004 and an analysis of our work in 2006 found that in the. student dense precincts in which we worked, youth voter turnout increased on average by 157%