“Young people and America as a whole rejected everything Donald Trump stands for and voted to start making progress again. Young Americans cast more ballots in this election than ever before, supporting the Biden-Harris ticket in overwhelming numbers and electing the first woman of color as vice president. Young Americans will have a seat at the table in the Biden-Harris administration, pushing for bold action on climate change, health care, student debt, racial justice, and more. We can’t wait to get started.”
NEXTGEN AMERICA 2020: BY THE NUMBERS
TOTAL SPEND: $59,024,882.99
TOTAL STAFF ON THE GROUND: 487
TOTAL VOLUNTEERS: 22,174
TOTAL CAMPUSES WITH PROGRAM: 227
TOTAL YOUNG VOTERS REGISTERED: 122,185
TOTAL PLEDGES TO VOTE COLLECTED: 441,630
TOTAL YOUNG VOTERS REACHED WITH DIGITAL ADS: 6,318,568
TOTAL PHONE CALLS MADE: 9,523,964
TOTAL TEXTS SENT: 27,559,184
TOTAL PIECES OF DIRECT MAIL SENT: 6,476,726
INITIAL TARGET STATES: AZ, FL, IA, ME, MI, NV, NH, NC, PA, VA, & WI
EXPANSION STATES: AK, KS, NE, SC, & TX
**Learn more about NextGen America’s 2020 cycle work here
More young Americans voted in the 2020 election than ever before — powered by record organizing and investment from NextGen America — flexing their electoral power to end the Trump nightmare. Nationally, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) estimates that young people accounted for at least 17% of all ballots cast (compared to 16% in 2016). While the wait for final tallies could last months, it’s likely that more than 26 million voters aged 18 to 29 voted this fall, compared to roughly 21.5 million in 2016.
In four of the five key states that Biden is likely to flip from red to blue, NextGen America played a critical role in building the margin of victory. NextGen America spent over $23 million to communicate with these key young voters through digital ads, informative ballot guides, and millions of conversations via text message and phone call. This historic engagement ensured a strong youth performance and Democratic victory.
Source: Circle Tufts University Tisch College
“NextGen America’s mission has been simple: Increase young voter turnout, win elections, change the country,” said NextGen America Founder Tom Steyer. “If the strong turnout driven by NextGen this year and in 2018 make anything clear, it’s that this generation of voters will be a force in our politics for decades to come.”
According to CIRCLE, the youth vote delivered the margin of victory for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Early data suggest young voters broke hard for Democrats, supporting the Biden-Harris ticket by close to 2-to-1 margins. Biden improved significantly on Hillary Clinton’s margins from four years ago, especially in key red to blue flips like Arizona, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, where Biden’s enjoyed big improvements in youth support, regardless of data source.
Source: 2016 Exit Polls; 2020 Circle Tufts University Tisch College
Diverse cross-sections of the youth vote broke hard for the Democrats at the top of the ticket. Biden and Harris won back young white voters who had been lost in 2016 and benefited from decisive margins with young Black (+76), Asian American (+69), and Latinx (+51) voters.
In addition to fueling a victory at the top of the ticket, NextGen America mobilized young voters to elect or re-elect candidates in the following critical races (Partial list as of 11/4, 5pm PT):
- Mark Kelly, U.S. Senate – AZ
- Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. Senate – NH
- Gary Peters, U.S. Senate – MI
- Mark Warner, U.S. Senate – VA
- Chris Pappas, NH-01
- Cindy Axne, IA-03
- Roy Cooper, Governor – NC
The strong turnout and Democratic party preference displayed by voters under 35 should serve as a shot across the bow to any elected officials who stand on the wrong side of the issues important to young Americans. As Generation Z ages into voting eligibility and continues the demographic shift of the electorate, the youth vote will only become more formidable.
