The Social Work Democracy Project (SWDP) has launched a campaign in four battleground states to energize social work students and inspire young people to participate in the democratic process. Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina students have been sent tee shirts with the powerful message ‘Our Voices Matter.’ They were encouraged to wear these shirts in their daily lives, engaging with voting-age young people and encouraging them to vote by Election Day, November 5. It’s important to note that this campaign is strictly nonpartisan, as the SWDP is a 501 (c)3 nonprofit that respects and includes all political views. The focus is encouraging young people to vote, not influencing their choice.
Younger voters are more likely to embrace progressive candidates and policies. According to the Fall 2024 Harvard Youth Poll, 18-to-29-year-olds nationwide prefer Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris by a 2-to-1 margin, 64% to 32%, in a two-way hypothetical matchup. Young Democrats have a significant enthusiasm advantage of 74% versus 60% than young Republicans among those who say they will definitely vote. Young voters support progressive policies: the majority, 74%, support capping prescription drug prices, 59% support legalizing marijuana, and a large majority want stricter gun control laws. So, by getting more young voters to the polls, it may benefit Vice President Harris.
The initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, a testament to the support and enthusiasm of our community. Thanks to generous donations to our GoFundMe contributors, we have circulated 1,000 tee shirts thus far and will order more as we plan to continue this campaign beyond the elections in November. ‘Our Voices Matter’ will be the theme of our Social Work Day on the Hill on March 19, 2025, and our Student Advocacy Day on March 20, 2025. We use the hashtag #SWDPVoices to monitor social media activity until and beyond the elections. Understanding that there is more at stake than the Presidential Election going forward is crucial. The existential consequence of who goes into the White House in January is significant, but participating in state and local elections is just as meaningful. Social workers need to be informed and engaged in all levels of the political process.
This will be our 10th Social Work Day on the Hill, and we will celebrate a decade of work by the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy, also known as CRISP. We are planning a gala for the evening of Wednesday, March 19, led by Elizabeth Gillette, CRISP’s newly elected President. Additional information will be forthcoming shortly.
We will enter the new year and new Congress with a new Chair of the Congressional Social Work Caucus, as Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29) champions social workers on the Hill. First elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, she is one of the first two Latina women to represent Texas in Congress. She graduated from Texas Women’s University with a degree in social work and political science and received her J.D. from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. Rep. Garcia sits on the powerful House Financial Services Committee. She caught the public’s attention when she was selected as the first Latina and one of the first three women to serve as an impeachment manager in a presidential impeachment trial.
Our work will continue regardless of the outcome of the November 5th vote. As the CRISP director, I want Vice President Harris to prevail and become the next President of the United States. I also want the House and Senate under Democratic control. Should that happen, we who voted for her can say our voices made a difference. However, regardless of the outcome, our voices and engagement are crucial. If the former President is given another term, it’s a sign that we need to ramp up our efforts and engagement, not a reason to give up.