Speak Your Vote

In 2024, Gen Z and Millennials represented almost half of all eligible voters—113 million strong. Despite their potential influence, many felt powerless, disconnected from political parties, and unheard. This disconnect left millions doubting the importance of their votes.

With youth voter turnout on the decline, the Civic Wisdom Foundation and the David & Goliath social impact team aimed to reverse the trend by equipping Gen Z and millennial creators to be digital get-out-the-vote (GOTV) organizers. Our pilot project, #SpeakYourVote, is a nonpartisan GOTV platform with a mission to educate, empower, and amplify the voices of young citizens. Instead of focusing on hyper-partisan, top-of-the-ticket candidates, #SpeakYourVote encouraged young people to talk about the issues that matter to them as a generation and as a young member of their local community.

Collaborating with influencers and cause leaders, #SpeakYourVote built a dynamic and impactful network. Key initiatives included:

• Civic Voices (A Civics Education Bootcamp for Creators): #SpeakYourVote piloted an 8-week bootcamp for NYC-based creators, covering topics such as the history of voting to understanding local and state ballots. Creators then used this information to craft compelling stories that they shared with their followers. (NOTE: #SpeakYourVote intentionally selected non-political creators in order to reach young people who were not already civically engaged.)

• Inspiring Content: #SpeakYourVote also in-house produced multimedia campaigns to educate and mobilize young voters across the country. 

• IRL Events: #SpeakYourVote piloted new ways to civically engage young people in real-life, including spoken word events and pop-up activations. 

• Spoken Word Poets: #SpeakYourVote partnered with 14 NYC-based spoken word artists to create original content for generating GOTV engagement. 

In just 60 days, #SpeakYourVote became a movement.

• National Reach: Garnered over 10 million views across social media, with support from celebrities like Mario Lopez and Stevie Wonder, and hundreds of influencer posts.

• Local Reach: The #SpeakYourVote Civic Voices cohort of 14 NYC-based influencers and 14 NYC-based poets amassed a reach of 1.2 million. 

• Viral Cultural Impact: Stevie Wonder’s custom song for the movement inspired a TikTok campaign, amassing 3 million views and nearly 300,000 likes.

• Creative Activations: #SpeakYourVote activated iconic venues, including NYC’s Bowery Poetry Club and LA’s Abbot Kinney, hosting a 5-day event with artists, musicians, poets, and creators sharing their voices.

• Community Growth: Grew #SpeakYourVote's TikTok and Instagram followers to over 13,000.

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