THE USA TODAY NETWORK, WITH PARTNER ROCK THE VOTE, LAUNCHES EVENT SERIES TO INFORM AND ACTIVATE MILLENNIALS DURING 2016 ELECTION SEASON

McLEAN, VA – The USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), today announced One Nation, a content and event series in the run up to the 2016 election focusing on social topics most important to the millennial generation. In partnership with Rock the Vote, the USA TODAY NETWORK will host live One Nation events across the country to inform young voters and encourage voter registration for 2016. In addition to the live events, rich, interactive content will be developed and syndicated through print, digital and social channels across the USA TODAY NETWORK, including USA TODAY and 92 local sites reaching more than 100MM people monthly. 

One Nation will bring together compelling content with some of the biggest names, including relevant, socially-aware celebrities and influencers to offer insight on each topic. Beginning this month, One Nation will focus on a specific topic each month that is relevant to millennials, now the largest generation of voters alive today. From gun rights, race relations, LGBT rights and immigration to the environment, education and the economy, One Nation will tackle topics through in-depth panel discussions and engaging content that will be distributed across the USA TODAY NETWORK to showcase a 360-degree perspective of Americans’ key issues leading up to the Presidential race. 

“With millennials surpassing the Baby Boomer generation for the first time this year, nearly 40 million millennials are expected to vote in the 2016 election. We are excited to launch One Nation with our partner Rock the Vote to help this audience make an informed decision on next president of the United States,” said Bob Dickey, president and CEO, Gannett. “We know that this generation has the potential to be the largest block of voters during this election cycle and want to educate them about the topics that resonate with them. The power of information coupled with the scale of the USA TODAY NETWORK, makes One Nation a very compelling series.” 

One Nation will work with Rock the Vote to produce four polls in 2016, which will take the pulse of millennial voters on these key issues that matter most headed into the 2016 election. Each quarter, 1,000 millennials will be surveyed about the issues that are most important as well as other important topics such as likelihood to vote in 2016 and attitude about politics in general. Survey findings will be published in USA TODAY as well as spotlighted at the One Nation events. The first exclusive USA TODAY/Rock the Vote poll, published today, finds a generation that has definite priorities for the next president, and back some specific remedies to the issues that matter most to them. 

Rock the Vote will be present at every One Nation event, helping to register voters and raising awareness about the importance of each and every vote and how the impact of voting in local races is as important in ones’ life as voting for who should be elected president. 

“Rock the Vote is excited to work with The USA TODAY NETWORK to help bring the issues that matter most to millennials to the forefront of each of the candidates’ campaign,” said Ashley Spillane, president of Rock the Vote. “As the largest generation in our nation’s history, we have the power to be the most influential force in electing our next president and our voices deserve to be an integral part of the conversation this election.” 

The first One Nation event will take place January 14, in Des Moines, Iowa to discuss energy and answer the questions: What’s the next-next thing in energy that will power our homes, businesses and cars 10 or 20 years from now? How do we get there? What’s holding us back? The event will be hosted at Wooly’s and feature Heather Zichal, an Iowa native, fellow with the Atlantic Council and former adviser to President Barack Obama, as well as Robert C. Brown, director of the Bioeconomy Institute and director of the Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies, both at Iowa State University. Additional panelists will be named soon. 

Other One Nation event locations and topics include:

 

·       Reno, NV (Healthcare, February 11)

·       Phoenix, AZ (Immigration, March 21)

·       Palm Springs, CA (Climate Change, April 20)

·       Asbury Park, NJ (Education, May)

·       Detroit, MI (Jobs/Economy, June)

·       Cape Canaveral, FL (American Innovation, July)

·       Indianapolis, IN (Guns in America, August)

·       Cincinnati, OH (Civil/LGBT Rights, September)

·       Washington, DC (Pre-election event, October)


For more information on One Nation, visit onenation.usatoday.com. Additional information can be found on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/onenation2016), Twitter (https://www.twitter.com/onenation), Instagram (https://instagram.com/OneNation_2016), and Snapchat (OneNation2016). 

About USA TODAY NETWORK

The USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), is the largest local to national media network in the country. Powered by integrated and award-winning news organizations with deep roots in more than 100 local communities, plus USA TODAY, the multiplatform news network informs and engages more than 100 million people every month through its diverse portfolio of digital, mobile, print and experiential products.  

About ROCK THE VOTE:

Rock the Vote is the largest non-partisan, non-profit organization in the country driving the youth vote to the polls. Since 1990, Rock the Vote has fused pop culture, music, art and technology to fulfill its mission of building long-term youth political power. During the past six Presidential elections, Rock the Vote ran the largest voter registration drives for young people and has partnered with more than 25,000 partners through its online, multi-lingual voter registration tool. Rock the Vote is dedicated to mobilizing the vote, protecting voting rights and advocating for an electoral process and voting system that works for the Millennial generation, America’s largest and most diverse population in its history. To get Rock the Vote updates on upcoming events, election reminders and candidate, visit RocktheVote.com. Engage on social media, by following Rock the Vote on Facebook and on Twitter.