Thanks to you we had an amazing 2024! We are looking forward to continuing to stand alongside our amazing youth members to advocate for a democracy we can each be proud of. To learn more about our accomplishments this year, check out five of our top moments of 2024!

☑️Prepared Students for Election Day

From voter registration to providing nonpartisan candidate information, we hosted 71 tabling events across the country. Each tabling event was planned by one of our youth members. They included important election information, Common Cause swag and of course great snacks! Through these events thousands of students received information on candidates, how to vote by mail, where to find accurate voting information, and how to make sure their voter registration was up to date. We were able to register hundreds of new voters in time to cast a ballot for the 2024 presidential election.

👣Mobilized Student Voters

Our Campus Democracy Fellows hosted 34 events aimed to increase excitement about voting in the 2024 primaries and general election and to mobilize their peers to vote. Many of these events were a success because our fellows were able to collaborate with academic departments, student organizations, community organizations, and other student leaders. Our democracy fellows know how to make voting fun for their peers!

🧠Hosted Statewide Convenings in North Carolina

In North Carolina we hosted 3 statewide youth convenings that focused on increasing civic engagement at North Carolina campuses throughout the state with an intentional focus on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Some of the topics that were covered are voter education, tools for advocacy, campus organizing, new voting laws, election protection, digital organizing, pro-democracy reforms, and voter enfranchisement. Nearly 200 students participated in one or more of our convenings.

🎒Worked to Lower the Voting Age in New Jersey

In our continued efforts to lower the voting age to 16, Common Cause supported the ordinance to lower the voting age to 16 for school board elections that unanimously passed the Newark City Council. Director of Youth Programs, Alyssa Canty, wrote an Op-Ed with Vote16NJ voicing support for this ordinance, elaborating on the need for a more inclusive democracy and highlighting other lowering the voting age efforts across the country. New Jersey now has a statewide bill and multiple cities looking to lower the voting age for local elections. This year there were other lowering the voting age victories in cities in California, Maryland, and Vermont. 

🗳️Trained over 200 Election Protection Volunteers

Throughout the 2024 election cycle, we had the privilege of training more than 235 youth election protection volunteers, covering dozens of polling locations across eight states. Many volunteers participated in the Democracy Justice League, a training for students and youth seeking a more involved form of civic engagement. The training provided participants with the tools to complete their poll monitor shift(s) as well as the context for why we engage with the electoral process in this way and how to continue advocating for fair elections in their state. We were proud to see so many first-time poll monitors and looking forward to working with them during future elections.