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Rock the Vote is an organization dedicated to building the political power of young people by engaging them in the electoral process, urging politicians to pay attention to issues that matter to young voters, and protecting their fundamental right to vote.

They are one of many organizations coming on board for the Common Good Exchange, a convention of the top brands making the world a better place, at this summer’s Fourth Estate Leadership Summit.

We reached out to the lovely people behind the organization to ask them a few questions about what they do and why they’re coming to the Common Good Exchange.

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When was the moment that Rock the Vote went from being just an idea to being a full-on organization? What were the motivating factors?

Rock the Vote was founded nearly twenty years ago in response to a wave of attacks on freedom of speech and artistic expression. Music industry executives and artists came together to establish Rock the Vote and turn it into the premier organization representing the intersection of young people, politics, and popular culture.

Both Invisible Children and Rock the Vote speak to such a young audience. What is it about this generation that inspires the pursuit of purpose-driven lives?

The Millennial generation (18-29-year-olds) is engaged both online and offline. They’ve grown up during a period of important political events such as 9/11, the war in Iraq, and the recession. These events have shaped them as individuals and have been huge motivators for them to seek change and make a difference in the world.

Can you tell our supporters more about your on-the-ground activations and one of the incredible stories of success from that?

Rock the Vote participates in a variety of on-the-ground activations. We have a volunteer presence at major music festivals, such as Lollapalooza and Electric Daisy Carnival, and we partner with artists to join them on tour and register voters at their concerts.
During presidential election years, we host a bus tour, where we travel across the country, registering voters and educating them about voting. In 2012, our field work and online voter registration efforts caused us to register over 1,000,000 people, helping young people to surpass their voter turnout numbers from 2008.

What’s the biggest thing your organization is hoping to learn or take away from The Fourth Estate Summit?

We’re extremely excited to meet and talk with such a motivated and creative group of young leaders. This is a great convening of young minds, thought and innovation, and we look forward to hearing more about creating social change from a young activist perspective.

Can you give us a hint as to what you will be doing at the Common Good Exchange?

Many people don’t understand the numerous barriers in our current voting system. We’d like to talk about these barriers and how to create an easier, more modernized voting process.

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