NYRA launches ‘Votes for Youth’ campaign
2012 will mark a milestone for youth rights activism: supporters of all ages are engaging in an effort to empower youth by lowering the voting age. The “Votes for Youth” campaign gives voice to youth who are fed-up with having no say in electing the leaders who claim to represent them. They have strongly held beliefs on domestic and foreign policy issues that should not be ignored. They know that, without the right to vote, meaningful change cannot be protected from the whims of politicians with their own agendas. Youth know that lowering the voting age will enable them to make a difference to improve the country they love.
What is “Votes for Youth”? It’s Americans, young and old, protesting to give youth the right to vote, that most precious right of democracy that so many adults take for granted and fail to exercise.
It’s people of all ages spreading the news by all means available that youth want and need the right to vote and they will gain the right to vote: uploading videos, blogging, tweeting, contacting local, state and national leaders, writing letters to the editors, and growing a network of supporters.
This movement will achieve big things, but it will require your support. Here’s what you can do to help it grow:
- Join our Votes for Youth Facebook group.
- Find a protest in your area and spread the word to your entire social network.
- Come to the October 12 DC rally.
- Donate to the cause.
- Use a “Votes for Youth” image as your Facebook or Twitter profile pic.
- Create a video explaining why youth need the right to vote. Then upload it to http://www.mediafire.com/ and send the link to [email protected] NYRA will choose the best ones to add to NYRA’s youtube.com channel and its special “Votes for Youth” playlist.
- Send a Facebook message or tweet to all of your friends (include the link to NYRA or the “Votes for Youth” page)
- Blog about the “Votes for Youth” movement on youth sites, political sites, and news sites
- Write a “Letter to the Editor” to your local newspaper
- Contact your local city council member, state legislator, or member of Congress and let them know the voting age must be lowered.
Working together, we can achieve great things in 2012. This is our moment. Let’s make it happen!
Join the forum discussion on this post 
5 Comments
Also, for the profile pic, I'm taking color requests. The one that you can currently download from the website is in green, but I can change the color, also, If you have a computer with Microsoft Paint on it, you can change the color too, there will be a kit in the votes for youth group on facebook =)
Amy33Amy33 said at 7:19 pm on April 5, 2012
This Saturday (April 14 – National Youth Rights Day!), change your social media profile picture to one that promotes Votes for Youth, and ask your friends to do likewise. Keep using that profile pic though April 22 (Earth Day!). Show everyone in your social network that you are a supporter of expanding democracy.
Get your gorgeous profile pic at http://www.youthrights.org/research/downloads/?did=203.
And if you’re on Twitter, be sure to show off your new profile pic on Monday the 16th with the hashtag #16toVote.
foxfire said at 2:40 pm on April 12, 2012
Does anyone happen to know how I upload images from the internet? And how do I find an uploadable image that's not copyrighted? Are there any on YR? I must be like living in the 1990's…
I don't have Facebook and it won't let me log into the Votes For Youth Facebook Page.
Ashley said at 11:11 pm on April 13, 2012
To download images, right-click on the image, and your browser should give you the option to save the image to your computer, flash drive, or whatever.
foxfire said at 11:37 am on April 14, 2012
Yeah, pretty simple… But you can't just download any old image on the internet…You could get the crud sued out of you!
Are there images on YR that are intended to be downloaded for changing your profile for Votes For youth?
Ashley said at 5:37 pm on April 14, 2012
Ashley said:
Yes. This one was designed for that purpose.
And I wouldn't worry too much about losing your crud in a lawsuit. If you're not making money from the use of a copyrighted image, and you're not undermining the copyright-holder's ability to make money off that image, it's very unlikely you'll get hit with anything worse than a letter asking you to stop doing it. For them to sue you, they would have to prove damages. In other words, they would have to show that you've harmed them enough to justify the money they want the court to award them.
The image I use of Foxfire's book cover is, I'm sure, copyrighted by the publisher, and I did not ask permission. My use of that image does not harm them at all – it helps sell their book. If they complained, I would be very surprised. If they sued, they would be unlikely to get three cents, let alone enough money to cover the cost of suing me.
foxfire said at 12:18 am on April 15, 2012
FYI–I don't have Facebook or Twitter, but I am a member of Wrong Planet, a forum for individuals on the autism spectrum. I read the site's rules and I think it's too risky to change my avatar (they might complain that I'm advertising, especially if the avatar has the name of this website on it).
What I did do was change my signature and start a thread in a section for talking about politics to try to shine the light on youth rights issues.
Foxfire, thank you for your help anyways.
Ashley said at 11:35 pm on April 15, 2012
[...] you would like to learn more, please go to NYRA Launches Votes for Youth Campaign. For reason WHY the voting age should be lowered (in case you’re not completely convinced), [...]
Votes for Youth: A Campaign Begins! « Lower The Voting Age said at 6:02 pm on May 18, 2012
We will have a Votes for Youth rally in Washington, DC.
Date:
Monday, October 15, 2012
Time:
4PM
Location:
441 4th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Stand with us as we speak out on the voting age and voter ID laws.
foxfire said at 4:01 pm on September 20, 2012
There may be a rally in Minneapolis, too. Chapter leaders in the Twin Cities and Washington County are discussing it. If you want to join a rally in that area, speak up here.
foxfire said at 5:25 pm on September 20, 2012
Also, Very Important, There is a Votes For Youth Facebook Page that needs dramatic likerage
https://www.facebook.com/VotesForYouth
as well as a very happy Votes For Youth Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/329885537064977/
Amy33Amy33 said at 9:42 pm on September 20, 2012
The “Votes for Youth” campaign is a good campaign and the goal of lowering the voting age to 16 should not end there. I believe that girls and boys who are 16-17 should be allowed to vote in municipal elections, presidential primaries, congressional primaries and primaries on the state or territory level. The U.S. Virgin Islands included. I registered to vote when I was 17, voted in a presidential primary and voted in a congressional primary election at 17. I refuse to be hypocrite on that. Girls and boys who are 16-17 should be able to vote in those elections as well as other elections. I admit, I am still evolving on lowering the voting age for all elections but the “Votes for Youth” is a good part of the youth rights movement.
edwinforyouthrights said at 10:25 pm on September 20, 2012
Date change. DC rally will be Friday Oct. 12.
See? https://www.facebook.com/events/401560393243270/
foxfire said at 11:15 pm on September 28, 2012
Info on the DC rally at http://www.youthrights.org/201…..lly-in-dc/
foxfire said at 11:51 pm on October 3, 2012
Leave a comment