Notes From the Field

Markette Smith is a staffer at YouthNOISE and worked on last week's Rock the Vote party at Pop. Here's her account of the event:

"The Rock the Vote party and youth voter registration drive sponsored by YouthNOISE and Pop on Election Day managed to take the voter registration process to another level by making it hip and fun. Held in the intimate setting of Pop’s showroom, attendees registered to vote under funky recessed lighting, surrounded by hip clothes, with rock music playing in the background.

"Some had questions about how to actually ‘rock the vote’:
'Do I need my driver’s license?'
'I don’t have my Social Security Card. Can I still register?'
'I just want to update my voting address. Can I do that?'

"However, once they found out that all they really needed to do was print their name and address on a form to register for any state, the hesitation quickly cleared, bottles of sparkling cider were opened, and shoppers and voters alike were more at ease.

"While most attendees came out to register and e-mail the Democratic presidential candidates participating in the America Rock’s the Vote live forum on CNN, one guest, who had come out just for shopping, was cajoled to register to vote by the small crowd of enthusiasts."

Whatever we can do to get young people engaged in the political process is a good thing. Not only do DC's youth provide a vast army of limitless energy, but their involvement is good for the growth of organizations. Young people transcend constituency labels, and they potentially care about everything. Give young people an opportunity to give of themselves early, and maybe they will grow up to be giving adults.

So listen up, all you folks from Washington's non-profits, organizations, political clubs and community groups – or if you just surfed in and have some ideas – how can we better engage young people? Let's think about youth-specific outreach, and how we can craft even a single event that would attract our next generation of organizers.