JOIN US TO DEFEND THE YOUTH VOTE AND PROTECT OUR ELECTIONS

It’s no secret that our generation can make a difference in determining the 2024 election, all the way from the White House to City Halls across the country. It’s also no secret that there are people in power who want to make it harder for young people to flex our power at the polls by passing an alarming number of voter suppression laws and there are fascists who want to intimidate voters and sabotage our elections with threats of violence or bogus “ballot audits.”

Don’t just hear it from us - according to the Brennan Center for Justice, millions of voters in 27 states will be voting in elections with new voter restrictions in place since the 2020 presidential election and will potentially face strained election systems and voter intimidation from extremists. From Ohio, to Texas and Arizona, we’ve seen young people forced to jump over countless hurdles just to exercise our rights. We can't find polling sites close to campus, and if there is a poll site on-campus, we have to wait on four-hour lines. Sometimes, we are turned away from polling places because we are told that we have the “wrong” voter ID or our voter registration disappeared. And with the increasing use of AI on our social media feeds, we’re seeing targeted efforts to misinform young voters and spread conspiracy theories.

It’s going to be up to our generation to restore trust in our democracy and defend our freedom to vote in safe and fair elections. That’s why we’re launching GenVote Defenders - the only nonpartisan national youth-led program mobilizing Gen-Z to recruit hundreds of young people to become election protection volunteers, help voters exercise their right to vote, and mobilize young people to defend against potential attempts of election subversion in local communities across the country.

We are recruiting high school and college students in New York, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Nevada, and Michigan to become GenVote Defenders. GenVote Defenders will receive a $500 stipend and join a cohort-style leadership development program with access to GenVote’s unique electoral justice trainings and election protection resources, attend special briefings with election defense experts, and coaching.

We got each other’s back and we’re going to need a new generation of leaders to make sure our friends, teachers, family members and neighbors can exercise their right to vote in this historic election. Join us today by becoming a GenVote Defender and apply today!

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until postions are filled. Please email Brianna Cea at bcea@genvote.org if you have any questions.

Eligibility:

• Must be a high school or college student
• Must reside in NY, TX, AZ, FL, MI or NV
• Must attend biweekly Defender calls
• Be available to do 3-5 hours a week of in-person and digital recruitment in September and October
• Be available to do in-person election protection field shifts in late October and November