League of Young Voters Education Fund Uses Social Networks to Engage Urban Youth

Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWire) -- 12/14/2011 --One in five African-American voters between the ages of 18 and 29 are “civically alienated;” having very little, if any, engagement with community organizations, according to a recent study by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). This alarming statistic is the core motivation for the League of Young Voters Education Fund.

The League works year-round to empower young people nationwide to participate in the democratic process and create progressive political change on the local, state and national level. As one of the only youth political organizations that works with low-income, urban youth, the organization hits the streets to work with tenacious young people and teach them leadership skills so that they can become proactive visionaries in their communities.

On the eve of a presidential election, the League is developing innovative tactics to reignite young. From registering voters on iPads to livestreaming the State of the Union address, 2012 will not be a traditional, straight-laced campaign season.

“Field organizing is still vital, but our conversation can’t stop at the front door,” Sam Patton, Communications Director at the League said. “We want to communicate the same way we talk to our friends – in person, but also through texts, Facebook and Twitter. We don’t want to ‘turn out’ young voters, we want to have a real conversation with them.”

In July, the League launched “YoungVoterLive.com,” a live chat series on UStream. Since its inception, YoungVoterLive.com has featured influential leaders including Russell Simmons, Global Grind’s Michael Skolnik, hip-hop artist Hi-Tek and major community activists including Jasiri X, Paradise Gray and Rashad Robinson. The chat series was created to gather thousands of young voters to discuss current social issues, including the youth unemployment crisis, police brutality, and gun violence.

Some of the biggest challenges facing young voters in 2012 are the new Voter ID laws in nearly every state, which threaten to disenfranchise 4.5 million young voters nationwide. Since the beginning of 2011, the League has implemented a coordinated online and offline campaign to get young voters the IDs they will need in 2012.

“This is about voter suppression,” Biko Baker, Executive Director at the League said. “When our folks can’t vote, we can’t influence the political agenda. What’s at stake is democracy.”

Their goal is ambitious: to make sure that millions of young people are not turned away at the polls because of their ID status. They need all the help they can get. Until December 31, 2011, supporters can make a tax-deductible donation to help fund the effort by going to http://youngvoter.org/donate.