In a classrooms in Washington, DC and Los Angeles, CA, today, Rock the Vote is launching Democracy Class, our program to engage the young people in the political process. Democracy Class is an innovative program where Rock the Vote brings to classrooms across the country a lesson in democracy, civics and information on how to register to vote. Today, Rock the Vote will be joined by California Secretary of State Debra Bowen and the hip hop group Cali Swag District to launch the effort in Los Angeles. Students in DC at The School Without Walls will meet the musician Tabi Bonney who was once a school teacher himself.
Each day, more than 13,000 Americans turn 18 and become eligible voters. Who will reach out to and engage this growing voting bloc? Democracy Class is intended to help register and keep young people engaged in the political process.
Check out Heather Smith’s article on Democracy Class for the Huffington Post.
For many of the nearly 13,000 young people turning 18 every day, high school is their main source of civics education. Unfortunately, the numbers tell us that not every student has equal access to what should be an essential part of America’s curriculum. As of 2009, only 21 states included civic learning in their state assessment and accountability systems.*
In response, Rock the Vote is doing our part by working with educators, artists, and elected officials to bring civics back to the classroom and get the future leaders of our democracy engaged early on.
We know that this kind of civics education is key to our mission of registering young people. We know the number one reason why young people don’t register to vote is that they don’t know how; every student deserves to be empowered with this knowledge.
