DNC: Denver tries to Rock the Vote Video

DNC: Denver tries to Rock the Vote Video Transcript

>> So Heather Hi.

>> Hi.

>> How are you doing?

>> I'm doing great.

>> Tell us a little bit about the Rock the Vote effort here in Denver.

>> Yeah so we're kicking off the conventions as well as our program to register two million young people to vote this election cycle.

>> Are you impressed by the sophistication of the Obama campaign in terms of like registering people, getting out to vote, because I know they're doing--aren't they doing all those seminars here in Denver for all the what 76,000 people who show up at Invesco Field, and they're gonna do outreach programs from there? They've really done a good job with that haven't they?

>> Yeah they've been incredibly in actually tapping into this young voter movement that's been building. You know 2004 young voter turn out went up by the highest margins in history. It happened again in '06 and then again in 2008, and now to have the presidential candidates actually addressing young people, talking about their issues, using the tools like cell phones that really speak to them, are there communication tools, I think you're gonna see record turnout amongst young people that's really fostered by the attention from the campaign.

>> Not to rain on your parade at all Heather, but there have been some instances when the much vaunted youth turnout has not really materialized, you know, I think they started in 1972 with the Nixon ads talking about young people getting out to vote, and many of them don't actually carry it through. I'm skeptical that that's the case this year but what do you do to really insure that people go out and vote?

>> Yeah I mean it is true turnout was declining rapidly for many, many years and in 2004 it just spiked to the highest levels yet and it's gone up every year since then.

>> Once young people are registered, they tend to show up at the polls so at Rock the Vote we've simplified the registration process. We have an online tool, you go to rockthevote.com, it's very, very easy to use. The campaign's using it as well as about 17,000 other partners are using that on their website, and then once they're there we let them know--here's where you go vote, here's when you vote, here's how you find information. Welcome to the process as first time voters, and we find that if you do that the turnout is the same level as all voters around the country.

>> Now Rock the Vote I imagine is ostensibly bi-Partisan but its skew is heavily Democratic does it not?

>> Well we never endorse candidates or campaigns. We want young people to make up their own minds. We give them the tools to get registered, the information to make their own decisions--cause these are, they're decisions about their own lives and their future. Our theory is there are 45 million people in this country, they're huge in number, the more people getting registered the better.

>> I'd love to talk to you closer to the election and then maybe after the election so we can either celebrate or bemoan the turnout but I have a feeling it will be A. So Heather thanks so much for talking with us.

>> Thank you so much Katie.