Rock The Vote Blitzes Ohio

Yeah, you know... that little thing called the Presidential election...

By Blurt Staff

Here's some hype, but it's damn important, so listen up, and spread the word.

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After a successful stint in Ohio last week, Rock the Vote The Road Trip 2008 is extending its stay through October 6th in order to participate in Ohios early voting period.  Rock the Vote vehicles are shuttling voters to and from early vote locations, allowing new registrants the opportunity to cast their ballot on the same day they register.  In the first day of operation, the service allowed over 10% of the student body at Wilberforce University to cast their vote early. So far in 2008, more than 1.8 million new voters have registered to vote through Rock the Vote - 30,000 of whom were tallied on September 29th alone.

"In both the 2004 and 2006 elections, long lines at the polls stifled Ohioans and made it difficult to vote.  Rock the Vote is providing the information and transportation necessary to allow young Ohioan voters to cast their ballots this week." said Heather Smith, executive director, Rock the Vote. 

Over the last two weeks, The Road Trip 2008 has registered new voters at 25 Road Trip events by reaching out to students at over 20 high schools and colleges throughout Tennessee, Washington D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.  Those already registered can sign a pledge to vote in the upcoming election.  By signing the pledge, Rock the Vote promises to keep voters up-to-date on the latest poll numbers, polling locations and candidate platforms and other election information via phone, email and text message.

The Road Trip 2008 is a state-of-the-art mobile road show designed to fit into Rock the Vote's mission to maximize voter registration, education, and engagement efforts in key youth-dense markets.  The Road Trip 2008 has already mounted concerts with popular acts such as Hawthorne Heights, Santogold, Solange, Melinda Doolittle, Talib Kweli, Bang Camaro, Low vs. Diamond, Ben Taylor and Rhymefest.  The Road Trip 2008 tour bus has been outfitted with computer kiosks that will assist in voter registration and educate users about the election process.  The artistic design of the bus itself was conceived by Shepard Fairey, the celebrated contemporary artist/graphic designer who emerged from the skateboard scene with his famous "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" campaign.

The Road Trip 2008:

Wednesday, October 1 Dayton, Middleton and Lebanon, OH

Thursday, October 2 Columbus, OH

Friday, October 3 Cleveland, OH

Saturday, October 4 Toledo, OH

Sunday, October 5 Youngstown, OH

Monday, October 6 Columbus, OH

The road trip will continue after early voting in Ohio to states including Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

For more information on The Road Trip 2008 and Rock the Vote go to www.Rockthevote.com/roadtrip .

For more information about voter registration in Ohio visit: http://www.rockthevote.com/electioncenter/voter-information/ohio/

ABOUT ROCK THE VOTE
Rock the Vote's mission is to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country. Rock the Vote uses music, popular culture and new technologies to engage and incite young people to register and vote in every election; giving young people the tools to identify, learn about, and take action on the issues that affect their lives, and leverage their power in the political process. Rock the Vote is creative, effective, and controlled by nobody's agenda but their own - they tell it like it is and pride themselves on being a trusted source for information on politics. www.RockTheVote.com