FYIDC | WHO’S NEXT
WHO’S NEXT Rock the Vote President Ashley Spillane is engaging Millennials in the political process BY ERICA MOODY
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he reinvigorated the iconic nonprofit group Rock the Vote by spearheading the “Turn Out for What” campaign, a celebrity-packed music video that reached more than 11 million people in the first two weeks and helped process nearly 800,000 online voter registration applications in 2014.With her innovative approach to reaching millennial voters, Ashley Spillane, 31, is on track to make a profound difference in 2016.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE COLLABORATING WITH ARTISTS SUCH AS KENDALL JENNER, LIL JON AND LENA DUNHAM? CAN YOU SAY WHO YOUR NEXT COLLABORATORS WILL BE? DO YOU HAVE A DREAM CELEBRITY WITH WHOM YOU’D LIKE TO WORK? Making the music video “Turn Out for What” with Lil Jon was the most fun thing ever! All of the celebrities who were involved really believe in Rock the Vote’s mission and were so inspiring. We have big plans for 2016. It’s our 25th anniversary and I would absolutely love to do something with Madonna to commemorate the iconic first ad ever made for Rock the Vote, where she wrapped herself in the flag.
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WHAT WILL GET MILLENNIALS TO THE POLLS IN 2016? WHAT ISSUES WILL INSPIRE THEM TO VOTE? Young people are first and foremost interested in jobs and the economy. They also want to know where candidates stand on important issues like student loans, LGBTQ rights, the environment, immigration, women’s health, criminal justice reform. Times have changed and Millennials are now online, on lots of different platforms, following a lot of different cultural leaders. We’re adapting our programs to meet our peers on platforms like Tumblr,Twitter, Instagram...even Grindr! We’re going to be bold, creative and fearless in our approach to getting young people’s attention this election.
MILLENNIALS HAVE A REPUTATION FOR BEING CIVIC MINDED AND SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS BUT WHEN IT COMES TO VOTING ONLY A FRACTION PARTICIPATE. WHY IS THAT? AND WHAT MIGHT THEIR IMPACT BE IF MORE OF THEM VOTED? You’re right, Millennials are engaged in civic life.We volunteer at record levels, care deeply about issues and vote every day with our likes and retweets. But we’re also frustrated with the state of politics today and the lack of politicians speaking to us directly or getting things done on the issues we care about. On top of that, the voting system in this country is antiquated and a huge barrier to participation. Only half the states allow registration online. Voter ID laws are prohibitive and going to an old courthouse to wait in line seems archaic when you consider we’re filing our taxes online. Campaigns need to engage the youth vote on issues that matter to them and the elections process needs to be adapted to meet the needs of Millennials who have grown
WHEN NOT WORKING TO INSPIRE OTHERS TO BE POLITICALLY ACTIVE, HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME IN TOWN? ANY FAVORITE SPOTS? I travel a lot in this role, but I love being home in D.C. for a weekend so I can catch a show at the 9:30 Club or spend Friday night dancing at Darnell’s, the best kept secret in Washington. And no other city does brunch quite like D.C.! I love the blueberry pancakes (and the people watching) at Level One’s Disco Brunch and the vanilla french toast curled up in front of the fireplace at the Tabard Inn. YOU ARE ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED AT A YOUNG AGE. WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE PROFESSIONAL GOAL? My ultimate professional goal is to be happy, be in service to making things better for my community and to give back as often as possible. And I should say I want to work somewhere that I can listen to awesome music and dance. That part of the job isn’t a myth – it’s a very cool perk.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
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PHOTO BY TONY POWELL , MAKEUP BY VELUXE
BEFORE YOU BECAME PRESIDENT OF ROCK THE VOTE YOU WORKED WITH MANY NOTABLE ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE ATLAS PROJECT. WHAT WAS THE PROFESSIONAL PATH LEADING TO YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND WAS IT ORGANIC OR DID YOU SPECIFICALLY PURSUE A PARTICULAR AMBITION? I’ve always believed in the power of community organizing.When I was nine I organized my little neighborhood to host an ice cream social for the kids and in high school would help organize clothing drives. I never thought of politics as a career, though. In college, I thought I would become a reporter working in the Middle East, but the more inspired I got to fight to make the world a better place, the more natural fit seemed to be politics.
up as digital natives and are used to doing everything online.