Popcorn and politics
Voter Registration: How to win friends and influence people
Erin McMillan, Charger Staff
The year was 2000. The country was still reeling from the presidential
sex scandal, but times were hopeful. With a record financial surplus
and a booming economy, it was time for America to choose a new leader.
Come election day, the votes were cast, and history was made. When
all was said and done, alas, our voting system did not work according
to plan, and George W. Bush was ushered into the White House as
our new president as the result of a Supreme Court decision after
disputed election results in Florida.
Four years later, we have been attacked, and we are in a war that
loses support by the second, but still has no foreseeable end. The
record surplus we so recently held has turned into a record deficit
that continues to mount, and the No Child Left Behind Act that Bush
so heartily endorsed has gone almost nowhere while the Patriot Act
is paving the way to making 1984 a reality. Millions are jobless,
and millions more are without healthcare. Though the man at the
forefront of our nation promised to be a uniter, not a divider,
there is a deep rift in the country. Though his administration has
had everything that can possibly go wrong go wrong; Bush still holds
his head up high and asks his constituents for four more years.
It is again time for us to make a decision in regards to our immediate
future, and whether you are a bleeding heart liberal or an ultra-right-wing
conservative, there is no doubt that the upcoming election will
be one of the most important for years to come. With that said,
a plethora of voter registration campaigns have organized to ensure
that those eligible to vote encounter countless opportunities to
do just that.
The first thing that needs to be known before a person registers
to vote is the eligibility requirements. There’s a simple
list of questions to determine your eligibility status. First, is
the person an American citizen? Is he eighteen, or will he be on
or before the date of the election (Nov. 2)? If so, and, if he registers
at least twenty-seven days before the election, he gets to pick
the next leader of the most powerful nation in the world.
If one has determined he can vote, the next thing he needs to know
is where to go to register. Luckily, endless resources, to help
you along the way, exist. The most popular voter registration group
is Rock the Vote (RTV.) RTV is a nonprofit, nonpartisan (affiliated
with neither the Republican nor Democratic parties) organization
that arose in 1990 to combat a series of attacks on artistic expression
and free speech. RTV became famous for making voting cool. They
have gotten celebrities, bands, actors, athletes,and the entire
entertainment industry involved through sponsored events and public
service announcements with astounding success. RTV does not stop
with voter registration, but also encourages youths to become politically
active in all areas such as protests and petitions. To register
through RTV, go to rockthevote.com, fill out the form, hit print,
and send it to the provided address.
Another popular voter registration campaign is Declare Yourself.
Declare Yourself is another nonprofit, nonpartisan group that is
spending the year working towards a registration goal of one million
new voters. The project is the end result of a three year project,
the Declaration of Independence Road Trip. Comedy Central has been
heavily running ads featuring celebrities dedicated to the cause
and directed by Kevin Smith, of Jay and Silent Bob fame. To register
through Declare Yourself, go to declareyourself.org and follow the
steps.
The other voter campaign receiving a lot of attention is Citizen
Change. It is yet another nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and
this one is P. Diddy’s campaign to influence the vote.
The goal of Citizen Change is to inspire and motivate millions
of new voters and contribute to the largest voter turnout in history.
Again, registration through Citizen Change can be completed through
their web site, citizenchange.com.
In addition to Rock the Vote, Declare Yourself, and Citizen Change,
every web site with any political influence is pushing out an effort
to get people involved with the election. Yahoo!, Congress.org,
both the Kerry and Bush official campaign sites, as well as the
Democratic and Republican Convention sites all have voter forms.
If online registration seems completely unappealing, every post
office is acceptable for registering.
Only thirty percent on average of the American public reports to
the polls to vote. Too many voices go unheard. Voting is a simple
process with drastic results, so take the initiative to register
. When a person takes for granted the democratic process, he loses
all right to complain about the state of the nation.
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