Young People Turned Out Big for Biden & Downballot Races Ready for What Comes Next—Including Pushing Biden to Deliver
**Count On Us Leaders Available for Interview**
Washington D.C. – As the nation eagerly and anxiously awaits results of the 2020 presidential election, a powerful alliance of youth-led organizations stands ready to make sure that every vote is counted. Young people, and especially youth of color, turned out in impressive numbers in the election. Should Joe Biden and Kamala Harris go to the White House, this voting bloc will have been decisive.
“Young people, especially young people of color like myself, showed up at the polls in big numbers ready to defeat Trump,” said Nikayla Jefferson, Count on Us leader and member of Sunrise Movement. “Nationwide, we saw 88% of young Black voters, 83% of young Asian voters and 75% of young Latinx voters show up in support of electing Biden. These are not some arbitrary numbers. This turnout is a direct result of young people who put in countless hours to mobilize and energize our communities to vote Trump out. When it comes down to it, we have always counted on each other to show up and make the changes we want to see.”
The organizations that comprise Count On Us were instrumental in mobilizing Gen Z and Millennial voters in key battleground states this year. Count On Us is a joint organizing effort of some of the nation’s most powerful youth-led organizations, including Dream Defenders, March for Our Lives, Sunrise Movement, and United We Dream Action PAC.
These organizations played an instrumental role in winning several key down ballot races this year, including:
- Through United We Dream Action PAC’s “Here To Stay 2020” voter outreach campaign, immigrant youth helped elect candidates proven to be champions for immigrant communities, including Miami-Dade School Board – District 9 Luisa Santos, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava, Representatives Ilhan Omar, Joaquin Castro, and more!
- Dream Defenders is celebrating the win of Michelle Raynor, who will be the State Representative for HD 70 (Pinellas, Hillsborough), the first openly queer Black woman legislator in Florida’s history, and Daniela Levine Cava becoming the first woman and progressive mayor in Miami Dade County’s history, ending 20 years of Republican leadership.
- Sunrise Movement helped elect Mondaire Jones, Marie Newman, Jamaal Bowman, and Cori Bush, and re-elect the rest of the squad, as well as down-ballot local races near hubs around the country.
- March For Our Lives Florida contacted over 350K Gen-Z voters through text banking to pass Amendment 2, which raises the state minimum wage to $15 per hour.
In addition to getting out the vote, Count On Us has recruited and trained thousands of young people to take nonviolent action should the Trump campaign escalate its attempts to stop the counting of ballots.
“Through record voting alone, we have proven once again that the power and voices of young people of color are undeniable. No matter what Trump throws at us, we are ready and prepared to take action to make sure each vote is counted. We will stop whatever attempts Trump may take to remain in power after all the votes have been counted and we are also ready to hold a Biden-Harris administration to deliver bold solutions for our communities. The future of young people is on the line and we are counting on each other to build the future we deserve and want,” said Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director of United We Dream Action.
Count On Us represents hundreds of thousands of young people organizing for racial, economic, climate, and immigrant justice, and against gun violence. Since launching, Count On Us has reached 70,000 people via livestream events and trained 5,000 young people for Election Day and post-election mobilizations.