To: NextGen Allies and Supporters ​ From: Carter Black, NextGen Virginia State Youth Director ​ Date: November 1, 2018 ​ Re: NextGen Virginia’s Efforts in the 2018 Midterm Elections ​

“NextGen’s goal is to register hundreds of thousands of new, young, left-leaning voters, and get them to the polls. If the effort is successful, it wouldn’t just help Democrats this November—it could be the key to sustained Democratic power.” — “The Voter Registration Drive That Could Reshape the 2018 Midterms” ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Washington Monthly, August 17, 2018 ​

NEXTGEN VIRGINIA 2018: BY THE NUMBERS TOTAL SPEND: $2.2 million ​ TOTAL STAFF ON THE GROUND: 71 ​ TOTAL VOLUNTEERS: 1,373 ​ TOTAL CAMPUSES WITH PROGRAM: 30 ​ TOTAL YOUNG VOTERS REGISTERED: 24,788 ​ ​​ TOTAL PLEDGE TO VOTE CARDS COLLECTED: 28,920 ​ TOTAL YOUNG VOTERS REACHED WITH DIGITAL ADS: 274,232 ​ TOTAL DOORS KNOCKED: 76,757 ​ TOTAL TEXTS SENT: 97,995 ​ ​ TOTAL PIECES OF DIRECT MAIL SENT: 186,718 ​ TARGETED RACES: VA-02, VA-05, VA-07, VA-10, VA-Sen ​

On Tuesday, November 6, Virginians will head to the polls to vote in the most important midterm election in recent history — and NextGen Virginia played a central role in organizing and turning out young voters on ​ ​ campus, in their communities, and online. Young people are the largest eligible voting bloc in the country, and they are overwhelmingly progressive. NextGen America has organized young people since 2013, and we know that when they turn out, Democrats win.

The stakes in Virginia are remarkably high: with four highly competitive congressional races, for the first time in decades, Democrats could occupy the majority of Virginia’s congressional delegation. In Virginia’s only statewide race, Senator ’s Republican opponent, Corey Stewart, is attempting to win on the same sort of bigoted rhetoric that espoused in 2016. We saw Republican gubernatorial candidate run a similar playbook in 2017, and young Virginians turned out in record numbers to reject his divisive ​ ​ campaign, propelling a Democratic wave that turned Virginia’s political landscape on its head.

With each passing election, Virginia has grown more progressive, and a blue wave this year will send a clear message to Virginia Republicans: your hold on VA politics is nearing its end.

NEXTGEN RISING In 2018, NextGen America is running the largest youth organizing program in American history, investing $33 million across 11 states to elect progressive candidates up and down the ballot. The youth organizing program — NextGen Rising — launched in August 2017 to register and turnout young voters (between the ages of 18 and 35)

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for progressive candidates in Virginia’s state elections. NextGen Virginia registered over 20,000 young voters and ​ ​ helped turnout them out in record numbers to elect , Justin Fairfax, and Democrats up and down ​ ​ the ballot. NextGen’s success in 2017 set the stage for an even larger effort in 2018. ​ ​

With a $2.2 million investment, NextGen Virginia is working to register, engage, and organize young voters across the state to flip Congressional Districts 2, 5, 7 and 10, and defend Senator Tim Kaine’s seat. With 71 staff and fellows on the ground, NextGen is working to organize young voters on 30 campuses, including 4 HBCUs, and in their communities and has registered 24,788 young Virginians to vote this year.

Virginia’s June primaries represented the first test of NextGen’s organizing power in the 2018 cycle. NextGen Virginia ran a full get-out-the-vote effort for the primaries, knocking on over 6,000 doors in Republican-held congressional districts. According to a TargetSmart analysis, turnout among young voters in Virginia’s primaries this year increased by 3.1 percent over 2014, and undoubtedly help put progressive female candidates like ​ ​ , Elaine Luria, and Leslie Cockburn on the ballot.

In August, NextGen Virginia ramped up its organizing program as students returned to college campuses across the Commonwealth. In just two weeks, NextGen Virginia registered over 8,000 voters on college campuses as students moved into campus housing. Over 80% of the voter registrations received by the Virginia Department of ​ ​ Elections in August from Virginians aged 18-25 were collected by NextGen staff and volunteers.

By the voter registration deadline on October 15th, NextGen Virginia exceeded its initial goal of over registering 20,000 young Virginians, ultimately collecting nearly 25,000 new registrations. Nearly 8,000 of these were in NextGen’s targeted Congressional Districts. This builds on NextGen’s success from 2017, when we registered over 20,000 young people to vote in the gubernatorial election. On seven campuses, including William and Mary, Virginia Tech, and Hampton University, over 10% of the entire student body at each school registered to vote with NextGen.

DIGITAL & MAIL To reach young voters on and off campus, NextGen Virginia sent 186,718 pieces of direct mail and spent $431,133 on cutting-edge digital ads to target 274,232 young Virginians. Running on social media platforms including Facebook, , and YouTube, these ads, like “Chopping Block” and “Trumpscore,” stressed the ​ ​ ​ ​ stakes of this election and the regressive, Trump-like stances of Virginia’s congressional Republicans.

As voters began to tune into the races in August and September, NextGen Virginia released a series of voter guide digital ads designed to educate young voters on key races for Senate and Congress in Virginia and compare the platforms of Scott Taylor and Elaine Luria, and Leslie Cockburn, Dave Brat and Abigail ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Spanberger, and Barbara Comstock and Jennifer Wexton on issues like affordable healthcare, abortion access, and ​ ​ ​ offshore drilling.

In the final five days, NextGen Virginia’s get out the vote efforts includes knocking on 29,432 doors, sending 193,794 texts messages, and encouraging young Virginians to vote early. In an effort to make voting as easy and convenient as possible for students, NextGen will also do voter education efforts on campus and offer free rides to the polls where there aren’t on-campus polling precincts.

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OUR LIVES, OUR VOTE Following the tragedy in Parkland, Florida in February, NextGen partnered with Giffords, Everytown for Gun Safety, and ACRONYM to launch the Our Lives, Our Vote program. The $1.75 million program set out to empower high school students to make their voices heard this November, and vote out politicians beholden to the NRA. In Virginia, Our Lives, Our Vote partnered with Inspire U.S. and Headcount to register 3,885 high school ​ ​ students to vote in person, online, and through mail ahead of the November election.

FOR OUR FUTURE To fight for the rights of working families, NextGen America partnered with national labor unions to create For Our Future (FOF), the largest independent field operation for the progressive movement in the 2016 election. This year, For Our Future Virginia organizers will have knocked on 214,027 doors by Election Day to turnout voters for candidates who support working Virginians. For Our Future's canvass efforts include a project called the ​ "Feedback Loop," in which canvassers can compile the top issues of concern from voters who they talk to. In Virginia, the Feedback Loop found that top issues amongst sporadic voters include gun violence prevention and a general disapproval of the Trump presidency.

GIVEGREEN GiveGreen, a fundraising partnership between NextGen America, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Victory Fund, and NRDC Action Fund PAC, raised over $20 million for progressive candidates across the ​ country. In Virginia, GiveGreen raised $323,862.52 for Tim Kaine, Elaine Luria, Leslie Cockburn, Abigail ​ Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton, among others. ​

"Young people are quickly beginning to realize that we have the power to really dictate what is happening in Washington, and who is representing us." — “More Students Registering to Vote Following Violence in Va. and ​ Fl.” WVIR, August 9, 2018 ​ ​

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