IGNITE's Blog

November is quickly approaching, and our IGNITE the Vote Ambassadors are fully activated! On August 14, IGNITE the Vote Ambassadors from across the country descended on Las Vegas for the IGNITE the Vote Summit, an opportunity to build relationships, strengthen their organizing skills, and strategize on how to get out the vote in their communities during this vital election season and beyond. IGNITE the Vote ambassadors are student organizers who are getting the vote out at their schools and communities. “The whole purpose of us convening together is to activate the next generation to mobilize their peers, to register, to be educated,” shared IGNITE CEO Sara Guillermo. 

Georgians headed to the polls on Tuesday and elected Rev. Raphael Warnock to a full term to the U.S. Senate. It was reminiscent of two years ago when Warnock first won in a run-off election. The young voters of Georgia flexed their political power in 2020, posting the fourth highest youth turnout rate amongst southern states and trailing only Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. However this time around, things were much different for voters.

My name is Faith Rasmussen and I’m the IGNITE Fellow for Washington state! I feel lucky to be a Fellow because I’ve been given the opportunity to advocate for issues important to my community and create impactful change. For the upcoming election, I’m igniting the vote in several ways.

Ahead of a contentious midterm election, a major policy issue driving me and many other Gen Zers to vote is financial security. At the local level, understanding where candidates stand on financial legislation is crucial. It’s a question of taxes, yes, because those decisions directly impact me through the amount of taxes taken out of my paychecks and therefore the amount of money I can contribute towards my savings.

Some of our most fundamental rights are on the line in the upcoming midterm elections. From the SCOTUS decision on Dobbs upending the legacy of Roe and women’s rights to choose what they want to do with their body, to our fundamental rights as Americans to access the ballots and participate in democracy, we as a nation are at an inflection point on who we are. 

This fall, young women of San Francisco will be heading to the polls to voice their opinions on a number of issues. From the overturning of Roe v. Wade, to the mounting student debt crisis, to the worsening climate emergency wreaking havoc in our own community, we are witnessing the mobilization of a new generation of voters like never before. And if the win for abortion rights in Kansas earlier this year is any indicator, we will see this energy extend beyond just federal races.

I was 13 the first time I clearly noticed the barriers I would face because of who I am and where I come from. At 13, I found out that I was undocumented. At the time, I did not know what this meant for me or for my future. I had so many questions about how my future would be shaped by my status, but this was also the moment where I realized that I still held the power to define who I was.

Leading young women’s political organization releases new data on the issues motivating young voters ahead of the 2022 midterms

Why do I vote? So much is on the ballot this midterm, especially one’s own right to vote. So many bits of history, problems, and passion combine to describe why I make voting in each election a priority. There is no “off year,” and our actions at the ballot box should reflect this.

The organizations plan to register thousands of San Francisco high school students to vote in this year’s midterm elections.