A Film By Diane Robinson
In 2016, only 39% of eligible young people voted in the presidential election. That’s not okay.
What can we do to increase young voter participation in our democracy?
The Young Vote follows a diverse group of students and activists during the 2020 election to understand young people's perceptions of voting and civic engagement.
“Diane Robinson’s “The Young Vote” is a triumph of Independent Cinema and The Human Spirit”
— INDIE ACTIVITY
Democracy is being threatened…
And young people are taking it personally.
The Young Vote takes you street-level alongside young passionate activists from California, Florida, Kentucky, and Texas as they challenge barriers to civic participation so their voices and the voices of their peers will be heard. It’s a story about unleashing civic power, shaping the future of America, and preserving the promise of democracy.
Meet the Cast of The Young Vote
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SOPHIA
Sophia is a native of Oregon currently living in Los Angeles. She wrote her college thesis on why millennials don’t vote in higher numbers. She is particularly interested in tackling the issues facing women and the most marginalized groups in our society and worked as an organizer for the 2020 election nationally and in Georgia.
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ARIANA
Ariana is an African-American student activist from Louisville, Kentucky who attends Northern Kentucky University. She has been involved in issues important to her and her community since she was in high school and wants to help end police brutality in her home state. She is not sure if voting is as powerful as activism.
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LIZ
Liz is a DACA immigrant who came to the U.S. when she was seven years old with her parents from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. She grew up in North Texas and although she is not able to vote herself, she works as an organizer in Dallas with a leading civic engagement organization in the Latinx community that is focused on engaging first time Latino voters in the political system.
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ELENA & DARIEL
Dariel and Elena are high school juniors who live in Orlando and Cooper City, Florida respectively. They meet through the group Civics Unplugged because neither of them are interested in joining a political party and want to work to ensure Florida allows Independents and Non Party Affiliates citizens to vote in the primaries.
Meet the Director of The Young Vote
Diane Robinson is a social entrepreneur and filmmaker with over 25 years of experience at the forefront of social change in the United States and globally.
After teaching successfully as a first-grade bilingual teacher in Compton, California, and holding senior leadership with organizations like Teach For America, the KIPP Foundation, Global Nomads Group and Teach For All, Diane embarked on a film career to make films that tell the stories of the students and communities that she served for decades. She started Yard Girl Productions in 2019 and The Young Vote is her debut film. She will begin pre-production on her second film in 2022.
“After working for decades with young people in education, I did not buy the narrative that our young people didn’t care and that’s why they didn’t turn out to vote. I think our young people care deeply about our country and this planet. But like most complicated problems in our society, there are no easy solutions. The Young Vote tells a different story through the eyes of young people of what it will take to fully engage them in our democracy.”
- DIANE ROBINSON DIRECTOR
Meet the Executive Producers of The Young Vote
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MARK GORDON
Mark is an award-winning motion picture and television producer with more than 100 projects to his credit, including Saving Private Ryan. A devoted philanthropist and champion of public education, Gordon is the founder of Citizens of the World Charter Schools (CWC), currently serves on the board of the Fulfillment Fund and Chrysalis, and is the former Chairman of Teach for America Los Angeles.
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MARCO ANTONIO REGIL
Marco is a television personality, public speaker, and activist. As the host of the Spanish versions of Family Feud, The Price is Right, and Mexico’s hit show, Generation Gap (Recuerda y Gana), Marco is a constant fixture in Latin households. Named Reader’s Digest’s most trusted TV personality in Mexico, Marco has used his expertise to become a central figure in America’s emerging Spanish-language entertainment industry.
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PATRICIA HOWELL
Patricia is passionate about the arts and was on the board of Washington Performing Arts, Step Afrika, City Dance and a member of Sitar Arts Center. Her love for the arts contributed to her philanthropy towards the historic Howard Theater. Patricia is also the director of the Howell Family Foundation, on the Board of Governors of the New School College of the Performing Arts, and co-chair of the Art & Soul gala for the Perez Museum of Modern Art in Miami. The Howell Family Foundation was the very first supporter of The Young Vote.
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LU-SHAWN M. THOMPSON
Lu-Shawn is a native New Yorker. She is active in several prominent civic organizations, including Jack and Jill of America, The Links, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., National Action Network, and NAACP. She also serves on the boards of 100 Suits for 100 Men, Arc of Justice, Black Institute, Women’s March, and Until Freedom. She is a producer and investor for several Broadway plays, including American Son, starring Kerry Washington. Lu-Shawn was married to Kenneth P. Thompson, Sr. for 17 years until his untimely passing in 2016. Kenny was a devoted public servant who became the first African American District Attorney for the borough of Brooklyn.
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ADOLFO FRANCO
Adolfo is the co-founder and general manager of Causas.org. As a partner of Kenio Films, he produced feature films with wide theatrical distribution in Mexico and the U.S., such as Cantinflas (2014), For Those About To Rock (2014), The Perfect Game (2010), and A Step From Heaven (2010). Adolfo has been awarded and recognized with the National Solidarity Award 2009 by the Mexican President, the Mexico Initiative 2010 by Televisa, the 2012 Gifted Citizen Awards by Ciudad de las Ideas, and the 2012 Google Grant by the Tides Foundation.
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DAVID STEINBERG
David is a well know agent in the Latin-American market for celebrities and productions doing business with all major players in the industry, like Televisa, Univision, Telemundo, HBO MAX, Netflix and Amazon. Also, as a producer in México he has raised capital for several movies and theater plays.
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NATALIE NIXON
Natalie Nixon is the creativity whisperer to the C-suite, helping leaders make exceptional business decisions through wonder and rigor. As CEO of Figure 8 Thinking she’s a creativity strategist, global keynote speaker, advisor and author of the award-winning The Creativity Leap. Real Leaders named Natalie one of the top 50 keynote speakers in the world and she’s been featured in Forbes, INC and Fast Company. She received her BA from Vassar College, and her PhD from the University of Westminster in London. A lifelong dancer, she lives in Philadelphia with her husband, John Nixon, and is the proud stepmother of Sydney. Learn more at figure8thinking.com and follow her @natwnixon.