Voting & Democracy

Current Campaigns

New Voters Project

The New Voters Project is the largest grassroots youth voter outreach movement in the country. Read more.

Elections should be fair, and that means that all eligible voters should be allowed to cast a ballot that will be counted. Unless changes are made nationally or in the states, large numbers of voters are likely to face unnecessary and troubling obstacles to participation in next year’s election and future elections. Read more.

Overview

The American system of representative democracy relies on an engaged citizenry and accurate representation, yet voter turnout is lower than it should be; mishaps, confusion and partisan administration raise questions about fairness; and in many states, districts are drawn by elected officials to benefit themselves or their party. That’s why U.S. PIRG is fighting for clear and consistent rules to ensure fairness. We’re registering tens of thousands of young and low-income new voters across the country. And we’re supporting measures that will ensure a fairer way to draw political districts.

In 2004, the New Voters Project ran the largest grassroots youth voter mobilization effort in U.S. history. In 2005, we focused on New Jersey and Virginia, the two states that had state-wide gubernatorial elections. During the 2006 election, the New Voters Project worked to register and mobilize 18-24 year-olds at 57 colleges and universities across the country.