Music for Democracy: Be The Change (Updated)
Update: I've heard from someone involved in this project that the calls will indeed be pro-Obama, and that there will likely be a down-ballot message delivered as well. Participating artists are also going to use the text message reminders I mentioned in this post. Good stuff.
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Music for Democracy recently launched a widgetized GOTV campaign, called Be the Change. Here's the widget:
The idea is this - recruited musicians agree to record a GOTV message, as well as make a few live calls on election day. They then seed the program to their fan base by posting the widget on their website/Myspace page, emailing their list, posting on message boards, etc. Fans of those artists then sign up to receive a reminder to vote on election day, and theoretically continue to spread the word virally by posting the widget to their own blogs/social networking pages, and potentially in other music forums.
It's an interesting concept and I have no idea how effective it will be. We know that text message reminders on election day can bump turnout by 4.6 percentage points. But we also know that robocalls are the least effective way of reaching young people. That might be alleviated by the fact that users are opting in to receive these messages, and the messenger will be a respected figure with whom the recipient has some connection (however tangentially in the form of fandom). However, that also makes me wonder about selection bias. Are the people opting in the types of people who were already going to vote, or is this actually going to convince someone who would have stayed home to go to the polls?
The other question I have about the project has to do with scripts for the artist. Will the artist deliver a pro-Obama message or a non-partisan message? Will the script discuss the importance of voting down ballot? Democracy Corps is estimating that down-ballot drop-off could be quite high among young voters. If the Music for Democracy tool could cut down that rate, that would indeed be useful.
I'm not sure if MfD is testing the effectiveness of the tool, but I hope they are. This would all be good data to have.
2008 Youth Vote in Context
The following charts and graphs are meant to contextualize the unique role that young voters played in the 2008 election, and their increasingly important role in a winning electoral coalition:
2008 Youth Electoral Map

2004 Youth Electoral Map

Youth Vote Partisan Advantage: 2000 - 2008

Youth Vote Historical Support: 1976 - 2008

Breaking News
Political Wire:
Poll Shows Obama Expanding Lead NationallyA new a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/16/fox-news-poll-obama-pulls-ahead-romney-as-presidential-race-heats-up/"Fox News poll/a finds Presdent Obama leading Mitt Romney by seven points ...Think Progress:
New York And Los Angeles City Councils Approve Responsible Banking OrdinancesCity councils in the nation’s two largest cities have approved laws aimed at forcing banks to invest more in their local communities. The Los Angeles city council unanimously passed its ...Political Wire:
RNC Will Bypass Nevada GOP"Fed up with an inept and self-destructive GOP apparatus in Nevada, the Republican National Committee and the Mitt Romney campaign have decided to erect a 'shadow state party' in this critical swing ...Think Progress:
CHART: Wages For Young Colleges Graduates Haven’t Grown In A DecadeAccording to data from the Economic Policy Institute, “between 2000 and 2011, the wages of young college graduates [aged 21-24] dropped 5.4 percent (1.6 percent for men and 8.5 percent for ...The Plum Line:
Greg Sargent: Happy Hour Roundup* Dylan Byers can’t get the Sunday shows to explain why they refuse to discuss the too-hot-to-handle Mann/Ornstein thesis that, yes, one side is far more to blame for what’s gone wrong in ...
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