Nextgen New Hampshire 2018

To: NextGen New Hampshire Allies and Supporters From: Teddy Smyth, NextGen New Hampshire State Youth Director Date: November 1, 2018 Re: NextGen New Hampshire’s Efforts in the 2018 Midterm Elections

“Democratic voters flocked to the polls in record numbers for a midterm election Tuesday… Young voters turned out in big numbers, prompted in part by a strong get-out-the-vote effort on college campuses by billionaire activist Tom Steyer’s NextGen America.” - WMUR, September 12, 2018

NEXTGEN NEW HAMPSHIRE 2018: BY THE NUMBERS TOTAL SPEND: $1 million TOTAL STAFF & FELLOWS ON THE GROUND: 37 TOTAL VOLUNTEERS: 815 TOTAL CAMPUSES WITH PROGRAM: 18 TOTAL PLEDGE TO VOTE CARDS COLLECTED: 18,463 TOTAL YOUNG VOTERS REACHED WITH DIGITAL ADS: 151,429 TOTAL DOORS KNOCKED: 35,960 TOTAL TEXTS SENT: 27,218 TOTAL PIECES OF DIRECT MAIL SENT: 27,770 TARGETED RACES: NH-01, NH-GOV

On Tuesday, November 6, Granite Staters will head to the polls to vote in the most important midterm election in recent history — and NextGen New Hampshire 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.

As we saw in 2016, young voters have the power to determine the outcome of New Hampshire races when they vote. In a year where Maggie Hassan won election to the Senate by a margin of just 1,017 votes and Hillary Clinton carried the state by just 2,736 votes, turnout in Durham alone increased by 2,191 votes as a result of NextGen’s work to organize and turn out young voters. There is no doubt that if it weren’t for young people, both of those races would have swung the other way.

The stakes in New Hampshire are remarkably high. New Hampshire’s First Congressional district is one of only twelve districts where Democrats are defending a seat in a Trump district, and the seat has a history of flipping Republican in midterm election years. High youth turnout will determine the outcome of this race and whether Democrats can take control of the House and check the power of the Trump administration.

The Governor’s race will determine the future of youth voting rights in New Hampshire and in turn, the outcome of elections for years to come. Governor Chris Sununu’s decision to sign voter suppression bills SB 3 and HB 1264 has fired up young voters to support Molly Kelly, who has promised to repeal them if elected. With the fate of SB 3 currently in question and HB 1264 not set to take effect until July of 2019, winning the Governor’s race is

key to protecting youth voting rights moving forward. Young people are poised to make the difference in the Granite State again this year in these two races, and countless down ballot races as well.

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) for progressive candidates in Virginia’s state elections. NextGen helped turnout young voters in record numbers in Virginia, propelling a Democratic wave and setting the stage for an even larger effort in 2018.

With a $1 million investment, NextGen New Hampshire is working to engage and organize young voters across the state to make Chris Sununu a one-term Governor, defend New Hampshire’s Democrat-held Congressional seats, and flip control of the state legislature. With 37 staff and fellows on the ground, NextGen is working to organize young voters in their communities and has already pledged 18,463 young Granite Staters to vote this year.

For the September 11 primary, NextGen New Hampshire ran a full GOTV program — knocking on young voters’ doors, making phone calls, sending text messages, and providing rides to the polls. As a result, turnout increased dramatically among young people. Statewide turnout was up by about 38% compared to the 2014 primary, and in the state’s biggest college towns, turnout more than doubled.

We also saw increases in the number of voters registering at the polls on the day of the primary. In Keene same day registration was three times what it was in 2014; but in Ward 1, home to Keene State, same day registration was over six times what it was in 2014. In Durham, 395 people registered on the day of the election, over seven times as many as registered same day in 2014. And in Hanover, more than eight times as many people registered same day in 2018 than in 2014.

Now five days out from the election, NextGen New Hampshire has collected 18,463 pledges to vote from young Granite Staters, more than Sununu’s margin of victory in 2016. More than 11,165 of those pledges to vote come from young people in the First Congressional district.

DIGITAL & MAIL To reach young voters on and off campus, NextGen sent 27,770 pieces of direct mail and spent $166,183 on cutting-edge digital ads to target 151,429 Granite Staters ages 18-35. Running on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, these ads, like “Chopping Block” and “Power in Numbers” stressed the stakes of this election, and the impact young people can make when they vote.

Following the September primaries, NextGen New Hampshire also released a series of voter guide digital ads designed to educate young voters on the races for the First Congressional district and Governor and compare the platforms of Chris Pappas and Eddie Edwards, and Molly Kelly and Chris Sununu, on issues like health care, gun safety, and voting rights.

In the final five days, NextGen New Hampshire’s get out the vote efforts include knocking on 16,000 voters’ doors and sending 92,000 text messages, in addition to tabling on 11 campuses and providing rides to the polls for young Granite Staters.

NEW HAMPSHIRE CAMPAIGN FOR VOTING RIGHTS NextGen New Hampshire is also a member group of the New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights, a project of America Votes. Alongside partner groups, students with NextGen testified against voter suppression bill HB 1264 in front of the New Hampshire State Senate. Organizers and volunteers also worked with the New Hampshire Youth Movement to collect petitions asking Governor Chris Sununu to veto the bill should it pass to his desk. With partners, NextGen collected over 2,000 petition signatures, delivered them to Sununu, and demonstrated at the State House to demand he listen to the concerns of young people and veto HB 1264.

After Sununu went back on his word and signed the bill, the New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights faced a new hurdle of combating misinformation on campus. The campaign coordinated voting rights trainings on six campuses across the state to make sure that students know their voting rights. NextGen New Hampshire’s organizing efforts on campus have prioritized making sure that enthusiastic students know they have the right to vote in New Hampshire if they choose, know how they can register to vote, and to speak with their local clerk if they have any questions.

GIVEGREEN GiveGreen, a fundraising partnership between NextGen America the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Victory Fund, and NRDC Action Fund PAC, raised $20 million for progressive candidates across the country. In New Hampshire, GiveGreen raised $38,384.12 for Molly Kelly, Chris Pappas, and Congresswoman Kuster, among others.

“The people in our age group are going to be the defining voters in the fall election. Young people across the country are very engaged over a wide range of related issues, and very enthusiastic about voting for progressive candidates. New Hampshire is going to be part of that trend. Students have the ability to fundamentally shape this election...and when the presidential candidates start coming ahead of the 2020 primary, they’re going to know that they’re accountable to young people.” - Valley News, July 1st, 2018