“The City of Chicago is in the midst of a voter registration crisis, especially among young people– Over 500,000 eligible residents are not registered to vote and Millennials in IL are rated 47th in the nation for voting in local elections. So Chicago Votes, a youth-driven organization dedicated to expanding democratic participation in the city, took on the fight for online voter registration to get Chicagoans back in the game.

Our volunteers, armed with clipboards and petitions to lawmakers, attended music festivals and farmers markets circulating petitions supporting online voter registration (OVR). Thousands of emails and hundreds of phone calls were placed to lawmakers urging them to support the bill. At a crucial moment in the legislative session, the Chicago Tribune ran an op-ed piece by our leadership supporting the bill. And Chicago Votes forged strategic partnerships with a plethora of groups – from environmental advocates to LGBT rights organizations – to include OVR as a legislative priority for the spring session. The bill ultimately passed both houses, and the governor will sign it into law imminently. Meanwhile, Chicago Votes is planning a massive voter registration drive this summer, and a new legislative campaign for the next session.

With implementation on the horizon Chicago Votes will be working to ensure that the online system set up is both well coordinated between state offices and fully accessible with online forms in many languages and compatible with electronic devices. In preparing for the launch in 2014, we also plan to coordinate outreach to ensure hundreds of thousands of residents receive notices from tons of local and state-wide organizations about Online Voter Registration. In California over 600,000 residents were registered through their new online system in the first 6 months. We like them apples.”

With people like Rebecca no longer content to wait for the right time in the hopes that something will eventually happen, but instead stepping up to make it the right time we, as a generation, can remake politics and government into more effective and inclusive processes. Let’s make it our time.

Regards,

Matt Fruth

Democratic National Committeeman

Young Democrats of America

Check out the recent White House Blog post offering more information about how to get involved.

YDA members have already been volunteering to make calls to Massachusetts voters.  We held a phone banking during our spring national conference in Charleston, WV and at a number of regional meetings over the past month.

We need your help one last time.  There are Markey for Senate phone banks happening every single day at the Democratic Headquarters in Washington, DC from now through Election Day on June 25th.  Will you join me this Thursday, June 20 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. to make phone calls for Congressman Markey?
    
Will you commit to calling voters with us before Election Day? Sign up for a shift today.

There’s a lot at stake in this election. Congressman Markey could be the single deciding vote on issues such as immigration reform and gun safety. Don’t sit this one out.  These calls are easy to do and they make a big impact, so come join us and pitch in.

Sign up for a shift right now:

http://my.democrats.org/Volunteer-To-Make-Calls

Don’t worry about dinner – we’ll have snacks and refreshments for you.   Please stop by!

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact DNC Deputy Regional Political Director Joshua Harris. I look forward to seeing you on Thursday evening!

Sincerely,

Rod Snyder
President
Young Democrats of America

Unfortunately, tough economic times and skyrocketing tuition costs have created unique challenges for our generation. To make matters worse, if Congress doesn’t take action, federal student loan rates are set to double on July 1 making access to a college education even more difficult.

Send an email to your member of Congress: “Don’t Double My Rate”

Let me be clear, no one who is willing to work hard and improve the quality of their life and that of their community should have to mortgage their future in order to attend college. Republicans in Congress continue to threaten the economic stability of our generation by failing to act with a deadline approaching.

Please take three minutes to tell Congress not to double student loan rates

The American dream is built on hard work, equal opportunity and upward mobility. Acces to a college education is an important part of that foundation for many young Americans; however, Republican inaction and misplaced priorities put us all at risk. For our country to be truly competitive in the 21st century global economy, we need more college graduates, not fewer.

Let’s win this fight! Make your voice heard today.

Sincerely,

Colmon Elridge
Executive Vice President
Young Democrats of America

P.S.  Check out the Democratic Party’s new website highlighting students and families who depend upon student loans to attend college. You can share your story too!

• If you can travel to Massachusetts this weekend, please sign up to help us knock on doors.
• If you can make phone calls from home or with your Young Democrats chapter, please sign up to help us phone bank.

Young Democrats in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming have already volunteered. Make sure you help secure a Democratic victory for this key seat in the US Senate.

“This week, the Senate will consider a common-sense, bipartisan bill that is the best chance we’ve had in years to fix our broken immigration system,” said the President, speaking from the East Room of the White House. “To truly deal with this issue Congress needs to act. And that moment is now.”

Right now, there are 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country.  Of the the 11 million, 1.7 million young people are DREAMers (young people brought to the US when they were young children).  Currently, there are 4.7 million immigrants waiting for a green card.  Many families are torn apart due to immigration laws. There is no doubt immigration reform needs to happen.

To highlight how immigration isn’t just a Hispanic issue, and the importance of immigration reform benefiting every immigrant, YDA Vice President Atima Omara-Alwala shares her family’s story in the Huffington Post. This piece highlights the need for Congress to consider a diverse range of immigrant experiences while debating this important issue.

This event was the first in a series of gatherings YDA is putting on to raise money for and promote our national convention. We hope you can make it to our upcoming happy hours in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, and we strongly encourage you to attend our bi-annual convention in San Antonio. Register now for San Antonio and join us as we work to make Texas and every state in this great nation go Blue!

The conference kicked off Friday afternoon with meetings of YDA’s Executive Committee and State President’s Association. Friday evening, attendees were treated to a welcome reception held at West Virginia’s governor’s mansion next to the State Capitol on the banks of the Kanawha River.

Saturday morning, conference attendees heard over breakfast from Delegate Mike Caputo, the majority whip in WV’s House of Delegates, about the United Mine Workers of America’s fight at Patriot Coal. More information is available at their website fairnessatpatroit.org. After breakfast, regular business began with meetings of YDA’s caucuses and committees, with trainings offered on finding jobs in politics and the use of our membership management tool, Demopolis.

Saturday afternoon, the women’s caucus meeting featured guest speaker Carye Blaney, First Vice President, National Federation of Democratic Women, and the LGBTQ caucus meeting featured guest speaker Del. Stephen Skinner, Founder of Fairness WV and the first openly gay member of the WV legislature. The business portion of the day wrapped up at 5 PM with meeting of YDA’s Regional Caucuses. A short break thereafter allowed attendees time to change in advance of the 7 PM “Farewell Dinner” for outgoing YDA President Rod Snyder.

The keynote speaker for Sunday morning’s general session was West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant. After her remarks, the national committee then moved into regular business and reports, concluding around 12:30 PM.

YDA’s next national meeting is our national convention in San Antonio, TX August 8-11. More information about that meeting can be found at http://www.yda.org/sanantonio.

Netroots Nation is offering a special rate for Young Democrats of just $275 — that’s more than $75 off the current price. And if you’re a student, the conference rate is just $95.

Click here to register now and get this reduced price. To get the $275 rate, just select “activist rate” and enter the promo code “YDA” when prompted.

Each year, thousands of online activists, grassroots organizers, bloggers, content producers, artists and labor and organizational leaders come together for four days of thought-provoking panels, practical trainings, inspiring keynotes, film screenings and fun networking opportunities.

Your pass includes access to:

• 80 panels on issues ranging from the student loan crisis to reproductive rights
• 40 training sessions on tech, writing, activism and other topics
• Inspiring keynotes, including a Q&A with Nancy Pelosi
• A film screening series and artist gallery
• Tons of social events and networking opportunities

You can view the conference agenda at www.netrootsnation.org. Among those you’ll see roaming the halls at Netroots Nation: Leader Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Tom Udall, Barney Frank, Howard Dean, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Mark Takano, Rep. Bruce Braley, Rep. Robin Kelly, Rep. Karen Bass, Rep. Mike Honda, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, CA Speaker John Perez, Ben Jealous, Joan Walsh, Stephen Lerner, Heather McGhee and many more.

Click here to register today.  Remember, select “activist rate” and enter the promo code “YDA” at the prompt to get this special price.

See you in San Jose!

Sincerely,

John Canales Gorczynski
Training Director
Young Democrats of America

“Today we mourn the loss of a true statesmen and dedicated public servant, Senator Frank Lautenberg. For more than 30 years Senator Lautenberg worked tirelessly on behalf of New Jersey’s hard working families, never backing down from a fight.

“A member of the ‘Greatest Generation’ and the last member of the U.S. Senate to have fought in World War II, Senator Lautenberg went above and beyond the call of duty for his constituents. From gun control, to banning smoking on airplanes, to fighting for GI benefits for his fellow veterans, Senator Lautenberg’s bare knuckle approach represents the true fighting spirit of New Jersey.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Senator’s wife, his six children, 13 grandchildren, his staff, and New Jersey families across our state. He will be truly missed.”