Rock the Vote targets young voters' clout
By Bill Gallo, Special to the Rocky
Published August 4, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Photo by Silvia Razgova / Special To The Rocky
Bass player Will Lovell, right, and vocalist Tim Sanchez, left, of Apex Vibe perform June 25 at the Toad Tavern in Littleton as part of a Rock the Vote event.
Photo by Silvia Razgova / Special To The Rocky
A flier inviting first-time voters to exercise their franchise lies on a table as Apex Vibe performs. The band is among those deployed, including Madonna and Snoop Dog, to sharpen political awareness among the young.
If Rock the Vote has anything to say about it, young and first-time voters will play a crucial role in the presidential election.
The presumptive nominees may already be convinced.
Democrat Barack Obama waged a wide-ranging primary-season battle with Hillary Clinton for the youth vote, and just last week Republican John McCain invited MTV aboard his campaign bus, the "Straight Talk Express," for an episode of the at-home-with-the-celebrities series Cribs.
Since the 1992 election of President Bill Clinton, Rock the Vote, partnered with MTV, has been a key player in the effort to reach young American voters.
Through its blend of pop culture, hip music and political education, RTV already has encouraged 950,000 young Americans to download voter registration forms this year from its Web site (www.rockthevote.com), and 645,000 have followed through. The goal: sign up 2 million new voters by the end of September.
The Haitian-American hip-hop star Wyclef Jean will headline a Rock the Vote-sponsored concert in Denver on Aug. 25, opening night of the Democratic National Convention.
"The proposition that young people don't vote has finally been proven wrong," said Heather Smith, RTV's executive director. "We are now poised to be decisive in choosing the winner in November. We will have the largest youth turnout in U.S. history."
Rock the Vote trackers say 6.6 million 18-to-29-year-olds participated in the frequently bitter 2008 nomination contests, and the Washington-based organization, which is now one of a dozen mobilizing young voters, predicts even greater clout come November.
"The millennial generation is engaged in politics," said RTV spokeswoman Chrissy Faessen. "And we expect a huge surge of registrations as the deadlines approach."
In its 18 years, RTV has deployed everyone from Madonna (wrapped in a U.S. flag), Snoop Dog and Leonardo DiCaprio, to P. Diddy and the Black Eyed Peas to sharpen political awareness among the young. The new RTV public service spots feature Christina Aguilera singing America the Beautiful.
For 2008, RTV has named five young "citizen reporters" to cover the political season for its site. Its "youth platform" touts: equal opportunity; environmental sustainability; freedom of expression; equal representation; and sexual, ethnic and religious tolerance.
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August 4, 2008
10:19 a.m.
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SL10 writes:
^ No McSame. :-/
August 4, 2008
3:47 p.m.
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shannonM writes:
Rock the Vote is no doubt an incredible organization that has had wide reaching effects in terms of registering voters on a national level. In Colorado, there are also local non-profits that are doing amazing work right in their own communities, including connecting with young people through their passion for music. The Colorado Progressive Coalition (CPC) has been working very closely with the Flobots to connect people’s passion for music to their passion for social justice. In our work together, CPC and the Flobots’ Street Team have registered hundreds of new voters as well as build up a community of folks committed to social change and social justice.
The pictures shown in this article, were actually taken at an event with Flobots Street Team members and staff from the Colorado Progressive Coalition. These two organizations have been working closely with Apex Vibe and attending their concerts to register their fans to vote.
For more information about the Colorado Progressive Coalition, you can go to progressivecoalition.org and you can check out the Flobots’ non-profit at fightwithtools.org.
August 4, 2008
4:41 p.m.
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Marisela writes:
I completely agree with Shannon. The PICTURES that are out with this article are NOT at a Rock the Vote event but rather a FLOBOTS STREET TEAM AND COLORADO PROGRESSIVE COALITION EVENT. I think it is great what you are writing about but you should not give credit to Rock the Vote for an event that wasn't put on by them. The pictures need to be CREDITED to the appropriate EVENT- FST and CPC!
August 5, 2008
8:35 a.m.
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djrussh writes:
This is an outrage. We specifically talked to the photographer about the actions we were taking, she took notes, and assured us that she was NOT a reporter. Sounds to me like the information was delivered and then this reporter pulled photos from the archives and made the rest up. Rock The Vote is indeed a great organization, however, their presence was ZERO @ this particular event. In FACT, Apex Vibe is a band that I PERSONALLY approached and has agreed to be a part of the Partner Band Model we are establishing thru FIGHT WITH TOOLS STREET TEAM. This was our second event with them and we were the ONLY organization present and recognized by the band for our efforts. I cannot believe how irresponsible this reporter and the RMN are being by completely disregarding the efforts of our local organizations. PLEASE GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE YOU PRINT SOMETHING AND CREDIT THE APPROPRIATE ORGANIZATIONS FOR THEIR WORK....THANK YOU, DRIVE THRU!
RUS CORDOVA
Fight With Tools Partner Band Coordinator
http://fightwithtools.org
http://flobots.org
http://progessivecoalition.org
August 5, 2008
10:05 a.m.
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MissKitten writes:
Apex Vibe is the best band in Colorado! Keep rockin and rockin the vote!