Summary
“Rock the Vote is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to building the political power of young people.
For 30 years, Rock the Vote has revolutionized the way we use pop culture, music, art, and technology to engage young people in politics and build our collective power.
“In 1990, music executives founded Rock the Vote in response to the censorship of hip-hop and rap artists. Our first partnership, with MTV, promoted the message that “Censorship is Un-American” and activated millions of young people across the country to exercise their rights and represent their interests.
For thirty years, we have continuously adapted to the changing landscapes of media, technology and culture to breakthrough and empower each new generation.”
From Rock the Vote website.
OnAir Post: Rock the Vote
About
Contact
Email: Rock the Vote
Locations
Washington DC
1440 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 719-9910
Web Links
Youth Lead a Nationwide Tipping Point
Source: Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote is built to maximize the power of young people. At this moment of racial, social and institutional inflection, we mourn the death of countless Black people in a country built on the forced, free labor of Black people. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery are the latest names on a list so long we can’t bear to look at it, but we carry it with us.
Protesting is one of the highest forms of civic participation. From the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to the Black Lives Matter Movement of today, young people have led the way and demanded justice. As we fill the streets with our bodies and risk everything to be heard, let us also prepare to shock the system in November by filling ballot boxes with our votes. Because this tipping point is inevitable and the revolution is already here.
That is the true power of voting in times of revolution, we have the power to choose our Sheriffs, our Police Chiefs, our District Attorneys, our Mayors and our Judges. These people we put in powerful spaces, facilitate the change we demand, or block the future we deserve and they are on the ballot every year, which is why voting is much bigger than the Presidency. It’s not easy or sexy, but democracy is messy – and being American requires action in the streets and on the ballot.
The young people of America are speaking loud and clear right now. And, we are watching. For every elected official making decisions on justice policy, police appointments, budgets, contracts, prosecutions and summonses – you will no longer operate in the dark. The young people of America are tuned in and are ready to take action in the streets in our communities and in national, state, and local elections across our country.
Get Involved
Volunteer with Rock the Vote
Join young people across the country and in your own community! Help register and engage young voters, create and share important information, defend our voting rights, and take action on the issues that impact our lives.
Fill out this form and you’ll receive an email shortly. We’re so excited to have you be part of the team.
Be a Rock the Vote Ambassador
Apply for Rock the Vote’s Ambassador Program!
OVERVIEW:
Rock the Vote is seeking energetic, enthusiastic, and motivated young adults who are passionate about volunteering and mobilizing their peers to vote and volunteer. The organization is launching its first-ever relational organizing program and is in search of exceptional volunteers to join a cohort of like-minded young adults from across the country to help implement this program. Relational organizing, at its most basic, means reaching out to friends and family and sharing personal stories around the issues that matter to you most.
Ambassadors will receive advanced voter registration and mobilization training; exclusive briefings and research; networking and professional development opportunities; and access to information and resources to deploy relational organizing tactics. Ambassadors will be granted access to a free relational organizing app for their mobile phones, through which they will build relationships with friends and classmates and track progress toward voter registration and volunteer goals.
The initial phase of this program will be focused on pilot states through the presidential primary season and will expand nationwide for the general election. Candidates for the pilot season should live in or have strong ties to communities of color in one of the following states: Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Arizona, Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Pennsylvania. Approximately 20 ambassadors per state will be selected.
HOURS AND DURATION:
Ambassadors are expected to dedicate a minimum of five hours per month from December 2019 through June 2020. Positions may be continued through the November 2020 election.
COMPENSATION:
The ambassador position is an elevated volunteer position, not a job; however, those who meet or exceed goals will receive a small stipend.
HOW TO APPLY:
Please submit a resume, cover letter, two to three references, and answers to the questions below to organizing@rockthevote.org.
DEADLINE:
Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.
QUESTIONS:
- What issues are you most passionate about?
- Please list your top 3 relevant experiences connected to leadership, civic engagement, voting rights, and/or nonprofit work.
- Tell us the story of voting in your first election. Haven’t voted yet? Tell us what you’re looking forward to when you vote for the first time.
We are looking for a diverse applicant pool and strongly encourage women, persons of color, persons with disabilities, immigrants, members of the LGBTQ community, and persons from low-income and working class backgrounds to apply.
Programs and Resources
Source: Rock the Vote
Brands for Democracy
Become a Member of Brands for Democracy
Our democracy depends on a culture that values civic engagement. Brands can shape culture and drive civic action within their companies and beyond.
Brands for Democracy is a nonpartisan effort that brings companies together and supports their efforts to empower employees and customers to take civic action.
Democracy Class
A healthy democracy requires active participation and prepares its people to self-govern by providing a practical understanding of how the government works, how power is leveraged and the skills to exercise their rights and represent their interests.
Democracy Class is a free, nonpartisan curriculum that educates high school students about the importance and history of voting and pre-registers and registers them to vote.
Educators will have access to additional lesson plans featuring:
- The history and importance of voting
- Modern-day voting rights
- The importance of local elections
- How voting impacts issues
- The 2020 Census
Tech for Civic Engagement
A suite of modern digital tools designed to empower organizations to drive civic action and track progress.
Nearly 20 years ago, Rock the Vote built the first-ever online voter registration tool to make it simpler for young people to vote. It was a huge success, and our tech team has been innovating ways to make access to democracy easier ever since. Working with election administration experts, researchers, grassroots organizations, and election officials, we’ve developed cutting-edge civic engagement tools to educate, empower and register young people – and they are all fully customizable and rigorously tested.
Creative for Democracy
Source: Creatives for the Count
Get Creative
Are you creative? Do you want to protect our democracy and ensure representation for all? Your talents can help us get out the count for Census 2020.
We need artists, storytellers, technologists, producers. influencers, and organizers. We need posters, memes, videos, articles, and images. We need to let people know how important Census 2020 is to our collective American future. We need you.
Action Fund
Source: Action Fund
Support the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act (NDEBA) of 2020
Rock the Vote has long advocated for expanded voting options to ensure everyone is able to cast their ballot. Now, COVID-19 has made it clearer than ever that options like in-person early voting and no-excuse absentee vote-by-mail are needed in all 50 states. We shouldn’t have to choose between our safety and our right to vote, and our access to the ballot shouldn’t depend on where we live.
- Expanding in-person early voting
- Providing critical election funding, including for mail voting
- Ensuring all states allow no-excuse vote-by-mail
- Extending deadlines for voter registration, mail ballot requests, and ballot returns
- Protecting access for disenfranchised communities, including voters with disabilities, young people, and Native voters
