NextGen America, the nation’s largest youth voter organization, is focusing on increasing voter turnout among Penn students in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
This fall, NextGen is running a nonpartisan young voter initiative at Penn every weekday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers operate several tables around campus to answer students' questions about the voting process and help students register to vote or check their registration.
Businessman and billionaire Tom Steyer, who briefly ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential race, founded NextGen in 2013 to energize young Americans on key political issues and inspire them to vote. The organization runs in-person registration efforts in eight states that could determine the 2024 election, including the swing states of Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and New Hampshire.
“We’re happy to be in the places that we are engaging with the community, whether that’s on campus or other places,” NextGen Press Secretary Ben Cook said.
Cook said that although young people are excited to get engaged civically, there are often several confusing factors like paperwork, deadlines, and registration information that prevent them from doing so.
To reach different student demographics, he said that NextGen places registration tables at specific locations around campus. For example, its table at 34th and Walnut Streets across from Hill and Lauder College Houses targets first-year students.
College first-year Megan Xie said she believes the tables are working in registering Penn students.
“I feel like as a freshman, a lot of stuff is just so new to us,” she said. “It’s nice to have somebody who has more experience and can help you with the registration process.”
College first-year Amanda Lo registered to vote at the tables and said that the process was “really easy.”
“The person who was helping me was super nice and helpful, and if I had any questions … they kind of just walked me through the process,” Lo said.
College first-year Dea Dervishi said that, while she knows that people on Sidechat “are bothered” by being constantly asked if they’re voting, she hasn’t personally met anyone that has had a strong negative reaction to it.
“At the end of the day, it’s an important reminder that everyone should be registered to vote because we often hear people talking about [and] complaining about leadership and asking for change,” Dervishi said.
NextGen America also has a student-led chapter at Penn called NextGen @ Penn. The club’s goals are to empower youth voters, spread awareness about critical issues, and encourage civic participation on campus.
“I think it’s really important that they understand their voices can be heard, and they will be heard as long as we do it,” Wharton sophomore and NextGen @ Penn President Nia Matthews said.
Matthews said that voter registration and turnout are crucial to Penn students and young voters in general.
“Pennsylvania is a key state … and given the population of the student body here on campus, Penn is the perfect place to come along with the other campuses in the area,” Matthews said.
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