Springing into Action: Recruitment in Full Swing!
In March, we recruited hundreds of new leaders and teachers, toured the Eagles stadium, and were recognized by a local PA representative—read on for the full recap!
A newsletter delivering handcrafted monthly updates on our voter registration efforts, all in pursuit of our goal to empower high school voices to be heard and prioritized in politics.
🤝 Recruiting Registration Drives
NASSP Conference in Washington D.C.
On March 11th our Chief of Staff, Ashleigh McKenna, attended the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC. She talked to dozens of school leaders about implementing a voter registration model into their districts, as well as attend conference sessions on the various methods school administrators can use to advocate for their students. The administrators were then off to Capitol Hill, where they took what they learned and advocated for education reform!
Texas Association of Student Councils’ Conference
We also attended the Texas Association of Student Councils’ 89th Annual Conference in Arlington, Texas. Our Program Manager, Margaux Granath, AZ Event Coordinator, Advait Rajan, and high school intern, Harjot Sangha, all helped recruit 300+ students and educators to get involved with our organization. Additionally, Margaux led a session called ‘Register to Empower: Building the Future Through Voting’ to teach students more about voter registration and running a drive with us!
Behind-the-scenes with the Philadelphia Eagles
Last October we were named a Community Redzone Partner with the Philadelphia Eagles, allowing us to register fans to vote while they entered the stadium and featured on the Jumbotron during the game. This allowed us to reach thousands of eligible voters, so we were so excited when we were invited back to Lincoln Financial Field! Jahnavi and Ashleigh networked with other Community Redzone Partners during a cocktail hour, attended a Q+A session with a retired Eagles player (William Thomas!), and enjoyed a stadium tour!
🤝 Getting the Word Out!
Common Sense Media Summit in San Francisco
We were thrilled to listen to our Founder and President, Jahnavi Rao, speak at the Common Sense Summit on Kids and Families led by Common Sense Media. Traveling all the way to San Francisco, she spoke about the importance of listening and centering young people - providing guidance to thought leaders from around the country. Other speakers at the summit included the CEO of YouTube, Neal Mohan, the CEO of Pinterest, Bill Ready and Former U.S. Secretary of State and First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Watch the full panel here.
Her main-stage panel “What We Learn When We Listen to Young People” included John Della Volpe, Director of Polling, Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, Dr. Kaya Henderson, Executive Vice President and Director, The Center for Rising Generations, the Aspen Institute, and was moderated by John Deasy, President, Bezos Family Foundation.
Throughout 2025, Jahnavi has also spoken at Harvard Alumni’s Public Interested Conference, the National Youth Leadership Council’s Thought Leaders Panel: Cultivating Changemakers, and the Main Line Unitarian Church. These opportunities continue to propel New Voters message into new communities, helping us towards our goal of reaching every eligible high school voter in the U.S.
🗞️ New Voters in the News
We are honored to have had our Founder and President, Jahnavi Rao, speak on the Happily Ever Brown podcast. She discussed her experience being South Asian, running New Voters, and being one of the several accomplished individuals on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List of 2024.
Additionally, our AZ Event Coordinator, Advait Rajan, received the 2025 City of Tempe MLK Diversity Award in the Individual Youth Category! Read all about this incredible honor, his contributions to the community, and his work with New Voters in the Tempe Tribune.
🌟 New Voters Updates
We will be partnering with Vote Early Day to encourage voters before the several elections taking place in 2025! Celebrating this civic holiday creates an amazing environment of organizations that is better able to mobilize and empower voters. You can join on October 28th of 2025 by clicking the button below!
Jahnavi was given a framed citation for her civic achievements by Representative Melissa Shusterman of Pennsylvania’s Congressional District 157, recognizing all of the work that she has poured into New Voters since its founding within the district. The two also discussed several ways to collaborate in the near future - stay tuned!
Students from South Pasadena High School, Hereford High School, and Franklin High School have already completed voter registration drives to assist their peers in becoming lifelong civic participants. These students and civic leaders include Nadia Cho, Grant Judkins, Gwendolyn Culbert, João De Rezende Schilling Polo, Amaya Mahler, Connor Schlaak, Valentine Barkoff, Natasha Rey, Sienna Drake, Shelby Collins, Reese Buckley, Madeline Madrigal, Emiko Esmillier, Lana Yamagata, Natalie Larsen, Isabelle Mullican, Myles Cherette, and Emma Martin.
Sincerely,
Harjot, Ashleigh, and the New Voters Team