On-the-Ground Efforts in Georgia, Voter Canvassing and Bus Tour Turn Out Young People and People of Color in Record Numbers, Disrupting “Nonvoter” Stereotypes

WASHINGTON, D.C.—On a day that saw a violent insurrection in our nation’s capital, March On hailed the election of Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to the U.S. Senate in Georgia as a step toward the more inclusive and fair America that voters across the country want.

“The story out of Georgia is that when we organize on the ground, we win,” said Vanessa Wruble, Executive Director of March On. “Our volunteers and staff have been the backbone of some of the biggest mass mobilizations of the last four years, and in this election cycle we formed a diverse coalition that connected with young voters and voters of color, clearly communicated the stakes, and ensured that they had accurate, truthful information about voting. As we saw in Wednesday’s Capitol riots, forces in America are trying to destroy everything these voters believe in, and they refuse to let it happen.”

Immediately following the results of November’s election, March On and its partner organization Future Coalition kicked off #VoteWithUsGA, a continuation of the momentum of the #VoteWithUs initiative, an intergenerational movement that contributed to the largest early vote in history in the November 2020 general election.

#VoteWithUs focuses on young people, women and communities of color—the New American Majority. The pinnacle of March On’s efforts in Georgia was a 1,200-mile bus tour that criss-crossed the state for weeks and connected with voters in cities including Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Austell, College Park, Columbus, Dalton, Jonesboro, Macon, McDonough, Savannah, Stockbridge and Warner Robins. In conjunction with the bus tour, March On implemented a mobile billboard project that drove to key counties to bust myths and disinformation. On December 19, March On the Polls Day featured an early voting event/drive-in concert in Atlanta featuring DJ AONE, Monica, K-Dubb, Lamman Rucker, Sammie and more. In addition, volunteers spent the weeks since November 3 canvassing door to door and contacting thousands of voters through text and phone banking.

“Young people and Black voters have shown in Georgia that they understand their electoral power to set the agenda at all levels of government,” said Maci Hall, Georgia State Director for March On. “What we’ve accomplished on the ground in Georgia will serve as a model throughout the country in future elections, and we’re ready.”

Additionally, March On is a part of Peaches for Progress, a youth-led initiative that convened a number of organizations to engage young voters in Georgia ahead of the runoff elections and is led by its partner organization, Future Coalition. Additional partners of March On’s Georgia efforts include SEIU, Black Voters Matter, 1000 Black Women Strong, Black Male Voter Project and Woke Vote.

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About March On

March On is a political organization composed of women-led political activist groups that grew out of the women’s marches of January 21, 2017. They have come together as a united force to take concrete, coordinated actions at the federal, state and local levels to impact elections and take our country in a better direction. March On is not affiliated with Women’s March, Inc. For more information, visit wearemarchon.org.

About Future Coalition

Founded by youth activists for youth activists, Future Coalition is a network and community for youth-led organizations and Gen Z and young millennial leaders from across the country that came into being as a project of March On in the fall of 2018. Future Coalition works collaboratively to provide young people with the resources, tools, and support they need to create the change they want to see in their communities and in this country. For more information, visit futurecoalition.org.

About #VoteWithUsGeorgia

#VoteWithUsGeorgia is the Georgia-specific branch of a mass movement by March On and Future Coalition designed to turn out the biggest early vote in American history, specifically aiming efforts at young people and communities of color. It includes hundreds of local and virtual events across the states where local organizers work to create large turnout numbers by encouraging people to vote early or drop off mail-in ballots at approved and physically secure locations. For more information, visit votewith.us/georgia.