Say hello to GoodWerk, working to do good. Okay—that’s not their official slogan, but it could be with the steps they are taking to get the younger generation out and voting. GoodWerk is a Chicago-based PAC (Political Action Committee) with a mission of empowering young people in the political process.
It’s imperative to get younger voters to the polls. The statistics from Pew Research Center show that in the 2014 Midterm Elections, only 20% of people ages 18-29 came out to cast their ballot. Which is 22% less than the National average. Trying to get to the core of this issue, GoodWerk set out to create a colorful, fun, youth-focused campaign that could spark interest in young, potential voters.
Since it’s been proven that the best way to reach new voters has been person-to-person interactions, GoodWerk created the idea of the Action Pack. These packs hope to inspire the younger generation to promote the importance of voting through their own actions. The packs include colorful buttons and an enamel pin, collectible stickers, party horns (to celebrate on election night) and too-good-to-toss posters. Each Action Pack contains enough goodies to keep some for yourself and some to share among your community.
Over the summer, Busy Beaver met with the Founder of GoodWerk, Jake Mikva, and George Miller, the Digital Director, to help brainstorm a plan to bring these Action Packs from concept to finished product.
“I'm used to designing things for the web, not physical products” George mentioned. “So during the whole process I leaned a lot on Busy Beaver for help and advice.”
George and his team recognized that talking to your friends about voting can sometimes come off as nagging, but having some bright and fun swag (designed by David Alvarado) makes it a little easier to bring up.
George also noted, “as a bonus, the materials then serve as reminders and resources wherever they go". The URL is on everything in order to keep people informed about the next steps to take from registration to voting day locations.
If you still have questions about voting next week, check out the “Everything you need to vote in Illinois” resource page on GoodWerk.org, and don’t forget to spread the word!
