Day after day, from college campuses to high school classrooms, we hear stories about needless bureaucratic barriers that prevent young people from voting. For young Americans, the greatest barrier to participation is the outdated process itself. Our complicated registration process varies state-by-state, and our country's antiquated, paper-based electoral system is...

In the decade since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the nation's young people have been accused of everything from apathy in 2004 to rebuilding the face of the country's electorate in 2008 to sitting out the 2010 midterms due to a fickle "Enthusiasm Gap" when the process of governing got...

Think back to the day you turned 16 and got your driver's license, especially that picture of you with your trendy haircut, greasy forehead and brace-covered teeth. Flash forward five years to the time you bought your first beer at 21, by which point you thankfully had learned to brush...

Is there anything more fundamental to our democracy and country than the right to vote? Should we not protect and value this right, and work hard to ensure that all Americans ages 18 and older are able to participate without undue burden?

I watch people in the Middle East...

What if politicians could take away your voting rights just because they can't agree?

That's essentially what's happening in Wisconsin right now, where a heated debate over the state's budget and the rights of public employees has turned voting rights into a political volleyball between Republicans...

Each month Rock the Vote introduces our community to socially-conscious artists who are making music that inspire others and using their microphones to promote civic engagement.

Each month Rock the Vote introduces our community to socially-conscious artists who are making music that inspire others and using their microphones to promote civic engagement.

Only one true winner will emerge from the upcoming comedic battle between fear and sanity: our democracy.

The Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally held this Saturday, October 30th, will serve not only as the country's largest public service announcement for the November 2nd midterm elections, but...

If Halloween has taught us anything, it's that face-to-face interaction is the best way to ask strangers for candy. This also happens to be true for getting someone out to vote, and given that October 31 is just two days before the election, Halloween and voter canvassing go together like...

Plenty of people have told us about how young people feel this election cycle. We face a so-called "enthusiasm gap," the media says. We're the driving force that will make the difference, President Obama says. We're furious with the system and want change, Republican leaders say.

Well, let's speak for...

If you went on an awesome date, but didn't receive a follow up text message asking for a second one until a few weeks later, chances are you'd soon be smooching someone else.

It's entirely possible that the students at the University of Wisconsin will have a similar reaction...

It's not 2008. There's no presidential race to unite the country's focus and galvanize sweeping momentum. If you asked a young person how he or she feels heading into the midterm elections, you'd probably still hear the traces of optimism that characterized that historic election. This time, however, the response...

Today we reflect on the terrorist attack that shook the country and shaped our generation's future. Amid a fury of debate over whether a mosque should be built at Ground Zero or whether a pastor in Florida has the right to burn a Koran, we can't lose sight of what...

As schools start this fall, Rock the Vote wants every student to have a new favorite subject - Democracy Class. The free and non-partisan class taught by Rock the Vote staff and volunteers teaches students about the history of voting, the connection between issues they care about and...

According to the news this week, the midterm elections will be characterized as any one of the following: The Economist predicts a disappointed indictment of President Obama by the left; the Washington Post warns that it will be a non sequitur speed bump that will have...

We may still have summer on our minds, but today we are two months away from the first voter registration deadlines of the 2010 midterm election cycle.

While we're having plenty of fun at August's festivals and street fairs, Team Rock The Vote is mixing civics with our last moments...

For the millennial generation, this 4th of July weekend is about more than barbecues, fireworks, and celebrating America's 234th year of independence. For them, the biggest generation in American history, this 4th of July marks the beginning of a new era, a new decade of civic engagement.

Young...

While many of the rights established by Congress' passage of health care legislation will get phased in over time, young people who will vote in November's critical midterm elections will actually begin to benefit from some provisions now, in particular the ability to remain on their parents' insurance plans until...

Election enthusiasts who've been gleefully gossiping for months about the narratives that will frame November's midterm contests got their first substantive taste of the season this week, sparking a predictable, if misguided, assault on the young voters who defined the country's historic engagement levels in 2008.

The...

To be an organizer, you have to have faith in people. Faith that if you give people the power to make decisions, they will do the right thing. You also have to have faith that people are compassionate and that they aspire to be decent in their actions, as the...