'Rock the Vote' launches civics push ahead of 2018 midterm elections

The progressive group, which was founded in 1990 to get young people more engaged in the political process, has long looked to target 18 to 24-year-old voters. In 2018, Rock the Vote's top organizers -- along with clothing brand American Eagle, the project's primary sponsor -- have made the decision to beef up their work with local schools, offering a mix of classes on the history and importance of voting that will culminate in registering or pre-registering students to vote, according to Rock the Vote executives. And to do it, they will be going into over 2,000 high schools across America.

With this program, Rock the Vote is tapping into the political activism they have seen on high school campuses across the country, most notably the nationwide protests organized by students after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida earlier this year. Rock the Vote was one of the groups that partnered with the student organizers of "March for Our Lives" during a voter registration tour this summer.

"Young voters are new voters, and they lack the experience and the knowledge to be empowered to fully participate in our democracy," Carolyn DeWitt, president and executive director of Rock the Vote, said. "We see young people want to get involved but not know how to. This program meets students in their own environment to help them understand what's going on around them this election season."

Rock the Vote first launched this class in 2010, but this is the first time Rock the Vote has run this program during election season. They have since partnered with Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, to revamp the scope and depth of the curriculum. The class will also run in a variety of extra-curricular programs and programs for at risk youth in addition to schools.

Andrew Feldman, a spokesperson for Rock the Vote, said, "this new program is an effort not only to increase youth participation and elections, but also to expand civics education across the country."

Political operatives have long worried that a lack of government education in schools will lead to less engaged young voters. The problem is particularly bothersome for Democrats, given the young people generally lean left. In 2016, for example, 55% of voters from 18 to 29 backed Hillary Clinton, compared to 36% who voted for Donald Trump, according to exit poll data.

A study by Annenberg Public Policy Center from 2016 found that only a quarter of Americans can name all three branches of government and a third cannot name any of the three branches, which is the lowest result in six years. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found in 2010 that only 24% of students in grade 12 were "proficient" in their understanding of civics.

Rock the Vote will also use this class to build on the success of their get out the vote program. In the 2016 presidential election, Brookings Institute found that the national youth average turnout was 50%. The turnout rate for registrants with Rock the Vote was 81%, according to the group.