Declare Yourself!

Investing in YOUR Future

2009-09-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

These days, it seems like young people have enough on their plate: unemployment, health insurance, mounting personal debt. Couple that with an economy in crisis, and it seems like the financial well-being of an entire generation is in jeopardy.

To help remedy these problems, Mobilize.org and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation will convene a grant summit in Chicago from November 18-20, called “Exploring the Millennial Generation’s ROI [Return on Investment].” After all, coming up with creative solutions to our economic problems requires a substantial initial investment of passion, time, and money... And as any seasoned investor will tell you, any good investment should result in a great payoff!

We have to come up with sustainable solutions that will:

a) utilize the strengths and resources of the Millennial generation
b) establish creative new ways for Millennials to achieve financial health
c) generate a substantial return on investment - both financially and socially

So put your thinking caps on – Mobilize.org will be awarding grants up to $25,000 for great ideas that “begin to address the the barriers preventing our generation from achieving financial health.” Declare Yourself will be there – will you?

Visit Mobilize.org for more info and APPLY before October 17th. Email info@mobilize.org or call 202-736-5703

Bloomberg Supports Voter Registration Modernization

2009-09-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

Last week, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg introduced “Easy to Vote, Easy to Run,” his new plan to modernize the registration and election system.

Though many of the plan’s proposals might seem far-fetched, some are very simple and easily implemented. Some highlights include:

− A “Democracy Index,” which will measure the effectiveness and preparedness of election administration in different areas of the city. Metrics will include: registration, length of lines at the polls and how long it takes for votes to get counted.

− 311: New York City’s new Official Voting Hotline – where city residents can get all of their voting questions and concerns taken care of: “Where do I go?” “How do I get an absentee ballot?” and “I was a victim of voter fraud!”

− Support for National Voter Registration Modernization, which would help boost voter participation and cut down on administrative costs.

− Support for Weekend Voting, an initiative sponsored by Reps Herb Kohl (WI) and Steve Israel (NY), which would change voting day from Tuesday to Saturday and Sunday.

In addition, Bloomberg’s proposal would also make it easier for everyday Americans to run for office by:

− Lowering the number of signatures required to get a spot on the ballot

− Opening up the petitioning process so that Independent voters can nominate candidates of their own via the petitioning process.

Many of these proposals are quite vast in scope, but efforts like these show that our politicians are well aware of the problems with the current electoral system and are doing their best to correct it.

Many of you are well aware of our own staunch beliefs in support of Voter Registration Modernization (VRM). Over the next few years, we hope to work alongside other like-minded organizations to raise awareness for this cause and build the infrastructure and legislation needed to make sure every vote counts.

Remembrance and Service

2009-09-11T16:10:00.001-07:00

"The anniversary of 9/11 is always a very personal day of sadness and reflection for me and my family, but it can also be a day when the nation comes together to embrace once more the spirit of compassion that helped our family and the entire 9/11 community see us through the very dark days following the attacks. Rightly so the anniversary of September 11 will finally become a national day of service and remembrance and such a designation not only pays appropriate tribute to those who were lost and those who rose in service, but also provides a constructive and meaningful way forward for our nation."

Jay Winuk, co-founder of MyGoodDeed, and brother of volunteer firefighter Glenn, who died in the collapse of the World Trade Center South Tower.

To participate in remembrance of the victims of September 11, 2001 by taking part in national service today or this weekend, search for local opportunities here .

Activism and the internet: youth presence is pronounced, growing

2009-09-11T14:15:00.001-07:00

While democratic involvement is still rooted in the upper and middle classes, it seems that the millenial generation's online engagement may be breaking through socioeconomic lines. In a study released by the Pew Internet Project based on surveys conducted this August, respondents reported an interesting mix of figures related to activism and the internet. Historically, civic participation has a strong correlation with economic standing; those in the bottom one-sixth of all earners have voted at around half the rate of people in the top one-third bracket consistently since the 1940s. According to the report, the internet has yet to radically change this trend: those who earn over $100,000 were more than three times as likely to have participated in some online political activity than those who earned under $40,000.

Still, the report makes two important points. Firstly, political participation on social networking sites seems to transcend class lines:

Taken together, just under one in five internet users (19%) have posted material about political or social issues or a used a social networking site for some form of civic or political engagement. This works out to 14% of all adults -- whether or not they are internet users. A deeper analysis of this online participatory class suggests that it is not inevitable that those with high levels of income and education are the most active in civic and political affairs. In contrast to traditional acts of political participation—whether undertaken online or offline—forms of engagement that use blogs or online social network sites are not characterized by such a strong association with socio-economic stratification.

Furthermore, when the data of online activism was broken down by age group, the youngest cohort was overwhelmingly participatory:

Some 37% of internet users aged 18-29 use blogs or social networking sites as a venue for political or civic involvement, compared to 17% of online 30-49 year olds, 12% of 50-64 year olds and 10% of internet users over 65. It is difficult to measure socio-economic status for the youngest adults, those under 25 -- many of whom are still students. This group is, in fact, the least affluent and well educated age group in the survey.

Thus, the study implies that while socioeconomic status is still prevalent in determining political participation online or off, this may change as a new generation of internet-users grows older.

On another encouraging note, the report found that online activism doesn't just mean teenagers are engaging in simply clicking on Facebook links, In fact:

Those who use blogs or social networking sites politically are much more likely to be invested in other forms of civic and political activism. Compared to those who go online but do not post political or social content or to those who do not go online in the first place, members of this group are much more likely to take part in other civic activities such as joining a political or civic group, contacting a government official or expressing themselves in the media.

Secretary of Commerce

2009-09-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

Name: Gary Locke
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Current City: Washington, D.C.
Job at time of appointment: Lawyer, Washington co-chairman of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's bid for president
Age: 59

A third-generation American with paternal ancestry from Taishan, Guangdong in China, Locke is the second of five children. He graduated from Yale University with a degree in political science in 1972, and went on to gain a law degree from Boston University School of Law.

After serving in the Washington house of representatives, Locke was elected the first Chinese American state governor in United States history in 1996. While some Democrats criticized the governor for his stringent no-new-taxes strategy, but he would become a favorite of the party and was even considered as a vice-presidential pick in 2004.

In a surprise move, Locke announced in July 2003 that he would not seek a third term. He went on to join an international law firm and to campaign for Hillary Clinton. On February 25, 2009, Locke was announced as President Barack Obama's choice for Secretary of Commerce. His nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate by unanimous consent on March 24, 2009.

In Memoriam

2009-08-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

Senator Edward Kennedy, an unrelenting progressive presence on the senate floor, passed away Tuesday night. We honor the 77 year old senator's longstanding struggle for civil rights, a half century's fight for Americans in need. Among Kennedy's achievements; the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which fundamentally altered the demographic composition of the nation, countless voting rights bills including that which gave 18 year olds the right to vote, post-Watergate campaign finance reform, the Civil Rights act of 1991, and the increase of minimum wages.

Kennedy was a liberal anchor during the conservative presidency of Reagan, during which he doggedly fought to preserve and improve the Voting Rights act. The senator's ongoing work to provide affordable healthcare for all Americans is still reverberating as reform agenda moves through Washington this summer. Even for his political opponents, senator "Ted" Kennedy was a compassionate and appreciated presence on the senate floor. As longtime friend and coworker Joe Biden said this morning, Kennedy spent his life "working for a fair and more just America."

Should town halls go virtual?

2009-08-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

The past several weeks of the healthcare debate have been marked by increasingly chaotic public forums. Town halls became popular over the last few decades as a convenient and personal way for democratically elected representatives to connect with and answer to their constituents. However, as the growing controversy over healthcare reform has come to a head, disruptive conflict has overwhelmed what had previously functioned as a friendly if challenging atmosphere.

Groups of health care reform-opposers have overtaken town hall proceedings, asking incendiary questions of defensive lawmakers and in some instances turning the forums into unmanageable mobs. Some representatives have voiced suspicion that those attending their town halls are even constituents, pointing out that conservative groups have turned to "astroturfing," or organizing phony grass-roots groups to help shut down constructive debate.

"Town brawls," as the media has begun referring to them, may not be the ideal situation in which to get real feedback from constituents, and some representatives have turned to telephone conference calls, which allow for citizens to call in questions to their local lawmakers. Last week, CitizenTube asked citizens to submit questions for Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH), and other representatives like Steve Israel (D-NY) have also turned to online question and answer sessions to connect with Americans on the healthcare issue. Check out their videos, and see if your representatives have done the same!

While online forums such as these do lose the intimacy of a public appearance and allow for advanced preparation, the recent conduct at town hall meetings has made it difficult for lawmakers to have an informed, honest discussion with their constituents. What do you think? Are town halls better off on the web?

"Some places are downright hostile to student voters..."

2009-08-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

Last week, nearly 2000 people from across the country convened at the Netroots Nation conference in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, Declare Yourself couldn't be there... but Sarah Burris, of Future Majority, attended the voter registration panel and wrote about her experience. Check it out:

One of the panels I attended at Netroots Nation was Repairing our Democracy: Voter Registration Modernization and other Solutions with speakers Secretary Debra Bowen California's Secretary of State, Dean Logan the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk for Los Angeles County (the nation’s largest county), Jonah Goldman a national expert on voting and elections, and Justin Levitt counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice. The panel was also moderated by Eric Marshall, campaign manager for the National Campaign for Fair Elections in the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law's Voting Rights Project.

Highly knowledgeable experts on the panel seemed to develop the consensus that the system is broken.

"We must have a system of error correction that is speedy enough so that people aren't disenfranchised and the error is corrected," Secretary Bowen said. "We need more consistent rules of residency for students. Some places are down right hostile about allowing students to vote, some are welcoming, but many are very hard on students."

"There are huge barriers to over seas voters and our military. When I visited Iraq and Afghanistan I met with the voting official who is not elected but appointed to do the job. . ."

Bowen continued to describe an over 500 page manual that the military official must be familiar with because there are so many voting laws for each state he must know.

"If we're disenfranchising people who are serving us it's time for the states to voluntarily figure out one cohesive consistent way that it works."

LA County Clerk Dean Logan told a story about a meeting he had with other election officials where it was asked if they could redesign the entire voter registration from if anyone would keep the original... none would.

Logan said they had 500,000 newly registered voters, and on the 15 day cut off for voter registration deadline California Counties had a Midnight Madness for people who had up to the last minute to register to vote.

"We had people coming in in their pajamas and it was packed! But the day after that cut off, we received 64,000 forms by people who missed the deadline. The next day 100,000 people sent in forms. We failed them administratively," he admitted.

But, Mr. Goldman said that new technologies provide a "non-partisan solution to a non-partisan problem that we can all work to fix."

Mr. Logan agreed believing

"despite this archaic system we are using technology better, allowing people to verify their information. But if you're online and realize that you need to change your address or you need to correct it, then that's where it stops, there is no way to update that."

The panel agreed the system breakdown is targeted at registration itself. Everything that happens on the back end is relatively smooth, even Logan said that when it comes to provisional ballots 80-90% of them count and can be verified, but the breakdown happened in the registration process somewhere.

Secretary Bowen said the argument against a massive reorganization and standardization effort would be the constant "states rights" argument. But Bowen believes that registration difficulties that occur in places like Florida and Ohio do affect California in a substantial way. Everything from Universal Registration to Election Day Registration are all options on the table but neither are being considered at the federal level.

The Military and Overseas Voters Empowerment Act (“MOVE Act”) authored by Senator Chuck Shumer was approved by the US Senate

"after a Rules Committee survey last May showed that as many as one in four ballots cast by military voters went uncounted in last year’s presidential election," Shumer's office said.

Among other things, "the bill would require states to provide ballots electronically. Additionally, it beefs up the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) at the Department of Defense, which is the main source of election-related information and assistance for many members of the military. The legislation, S. 1415, also addresses problems the military and overseas voters face in registering to vote from outside the U.S. It would bar states from rejecting military ballots for lack of a “Notary” signature—a feat difficult to achieve in the bases of Iraq and Afghanistan."

The Student VOTER Act was also re-introduced this session back in March. Late July will also bring the second hearing for the Student VOTER Act in the Committee on House Administration and will hopefully go into mark-up in September when it should also be in line for a floor vote.

Matthew Segal from the Student Association for Voter Empowerment told me via email that Majority Leader Steney Hoyer has been extremely supportive so he's optimistic we can get the bill on the floor this year. If you missed it, former US Senate Leader Tom Daschle has been a fantastic public advocate on the Student VOTER Act, and Zoe Lofgren, who chairs the subcommittee on elections within the Committee on House administration has also now signed onto the bill, as has Susan Davis, who is another member of both the full committee and subcommittee.

Segal says

"their leadership will assist us in getting the bill marked up this September. We [also] hope that other youth organizations will join us in making this one of their principal legislative priorities for 2009 and 2010."

As Bowen said, issues like Voting Rights aren't as sexy as issues like Health Care, but the ability to register to vote, be able to vote, and have that vote counted as its cast is the foundation of our democracy. We should be able to count on all of those things.

Read the original text of the article HERE.

Getting the Scoop: a Fresh Model for Media?

2009-08-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

As social critics are singing the dirge of traditional newspapers, new media is emerging in unlikely and innovative ways. From citizen reporting in the form of personal video clips on sites like iReport.com to the blogging power player Huffington Post, politically inclined Americans have an ever-expanding array of media outlets to choose from.

Now, the Facebook generation has its own avenue for critical coverage and analysis of compelling current events; Scoop44, launched in May, is a self-operated online news outlet created, edited, and written exclusively by young people. The site, whose name refers to the 44th administration currently in power, covers a variety of topics, from Washington politics to internet culture to race in America, across a range of platforms including traditional articles and video blogs. Scoop44 was created by Harvard undergrad Alexander Heffner, and most of the site's staff are still in college or even high school, an antidote to the image of weathered journalists that pervades traditional media.

One striking aspect of the site is the "change detectives" section, in which the young writers analyze current news as it pertains to the Millenial generation, and keep a critical eye on political promises and how they play out in reality. As the rapidly expanding (and in some cases disintegrating) field of communications continues to evolve, Scoop44 will certainly be on the radar as an example of cutting-edge reporting and commentary. Check out this interview with the publication's president:

Secretary of Health and Human Services

2009-08-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

Name: Kathleen Sebelius
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Current City: Washington, D.C.
Job at time of appointment: Governor of Kansas
Age: 61

Kathleen Sebelius graduated from Trinity Washington University and earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas. An avid jazz lover, Sebelius has served as a Kansas Representative, state Insurance Commissioner, and Governor.

Sebelius was praised as governor for working as a strong bipartisan leader who eliminated over $1 billion in debt, increased public education standards, and shedding wasteful spending practices.

Kathleen Sebelius was sworn in as the 21st Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday, April 29, 2009. The Secretary governs one of the largest civilian departments in the federal government with more than 67,000 employees. HHS is the principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans..

The Great Twitter Race

2009-08-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

If Ashton and CNN were last month's hot Twitter-race, this month, we've got our eye on Senator John McCain and the White House!

McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) just surpassed the 1 million mark, easily beating out the White House account (@whitehouse) that has approximately 844,000 followers. Other popular politicians on the site lag behind, but still boast respectable followings; Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill and South Carolina Republican Jim DeMint are the most followed but each have less than 30,000 subscribers.

The most watched politician still remains President Barack Obama (@BarackObama), and other notable political figures on Twitter include CA Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Vice President Al Gore.

Secretary of State

2009-07-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

Name: Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Current city: Washington, D.C.
Job at time of appointment: United States Senator (D-NY)
Age: 61

A native of Illinois, Hillary Rodham entered the public spotlight in 1969 as the first student to deliver the commencement address at Wellesley College. She embarked on a career in law after graduating from Yale Law School in 1973.

When she was First Lady of the United States, her major initiative, the Clinton health care plan, failed to gain approval from the U.S. Congress in 1994, though in following years she played a definitive role in the establishment of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and the Foster Care Independence Act.

In 2000, Hillary Clinton made history as the first First Lady elected to the United States Senate, and the first woman elected statewide in New York.

In the 2008 presidential nomination race, Clinton won more primaries and delegates than any other female candidate in American history, but she narrowly lost to Senator Barack Obama. As Obama's Secretary of State, Clinton is the first former First Lady to serve in a president's cabinet.

Schumer: Taking on the System

2009-07-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, only 68 percent of Americans are registered to vote. Compare this to a rate of 100 percent in Argentina, or 97 percent in Belize, and it becomes apparent that the United States’ might have dropped the ball. Nations with higher voter turnout than America’s average of 54 percent (though to be fair, the estimated turnout in the 2008 presidential election was as high as 63 percent) include Malta, New Zealand, Iceland, Germany, Venezuela, Norway, Brazil, Israel and Estonia.

Fortunately, policymakers are gearing up to introduce legislation that will simplify and expand the voter registration process, hopefully in turn increasing civic engagement and enthusiasm about voting. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, has begun to draft a National voter registration modernization bill. Chances are the legislation will follow the recommendations of the commissioned report “Helping Voters Today, Modernizing the System for Tomorrow,” compiled by the nonpartisan coalition Election Protection.
Some of the key policy recommendations include:

*Automatic registration: instead of leaving voter registration to individuals or third-party organizations, the government should actively and automatically register citizens to vote based on state databases that individuals may opt out of.

*Permanent registration: changes like new addresses should not require complicated new registration that many citizens are not aware of. Instead, the choice to update voter information should be given in situations such as registration of new address at the post office.

*Election day correction: voters who are not automatically added to the rolls, or those who have minor inconsistencies in their information should be able to update their registration on election day if they have official proof. No eligible citizen should be turned away at the polls because their name was not added or was taken off of the list.

*Decrease voter disinformation: provide adequate education about voting and prohibit voting practices intended to misinform, intimidate, or disenfranchise citizens.

*Provide adequate resources and incentives to election officials to ensure efficient and well-performed election management.

*Implement "no excuse" early voting: expanding the dates for voting and making poll time flexible will encourage a greater proportion of the population to vote.

What do you think of these ideas? What other reform could the United States voting system use?

80 Million Strong: Summit Recap

2009-07-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

If you haven’t yet read Claire’s post about her own experience at the summit, be sure to check it out below! Participants at the 80 Million Strong event last week enthusiastically covered a smattering of important issues affecting the millennial generation during the recession, and broke into lobbying sessions with over 70 congressional representatives to promote their agenda.

Speakers included the Honorable Ken Salazar, Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL), former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), Jared Bernstein, chief economic advisor to Vice President Joe Biden.

Why was the summit necessary? For those of you who have just entered the workforce, you might have some idea; 17.8 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds in America are jobless, a figure that is almost double the national jobless rate of 9.4 percent.

During an interactive voting session during the two-day conference, the civically inspired members voted on top priorities for Washington. Some highlights from the top ten policy recommendations:

*Target youth social entrepreneurship by developing a Youth Innovation Fund, modeled after the Social Innovation Fund, to grant money to young social entrepreneurs addressing critical needs of American communities.

*Make AmeriCorps more viable for all interested parties, regardless of socioeconomic status, by raising wages so that participants are not working at or below the poverty level.

*Provide low-income students who cannot otherwise afford college with free education at a state university contingent upon their volunteer service in the public sector with a Community Scholars program

*Establish a public service academy, similar to military academies like West Point.

*Ensure health care coverage access to young people by extending dependent status for insurance coverage up to age 26 years of age regardless of student status and/or expanding Medicaid to include childless young adults. Establish a national standard for health care coverage instead of relying of state-to-state legislation.

*Come up with solutions to the student loan/debt issue. Create income- based repayment including private loans and unify the existing three strands of financial aid: Pell Grants, Loans, & Work Study

*Form a young diplomatic service program, aimed at those who usually are not exposed to this sort of opportunity (like community college students,) to foster deep relationships between citizens, cultures, and governments using funding for the Public Service act.

To learn more about the proposed policies and to get a full summary of the summit, check out 80 Million Strong. Also, be sure to stay tuned for upcoming information about another summit to be held in Chicago this October!

Secretary of Homeland Security

2009-07-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

Name: Janet Napolitano
Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Current City: Washington, D.C.
Job at time of appointment: Governor of Arizona
Age: 51

Janet Napolitano graduated from Santa Clara University with a Truman Scholarship, and continued to the University of Virginia School of Law. After working in the field of private law, Napolitano was appointed by President Clinton to the post of United States Attorney for the District of Arizona. She helped lead the investigation into the Oklahoma City Bombing. In 1998 she successfully ran for the position of Arizona Attorney General, where she focused on consumer protection issues and enhancing law enforcement in the state.

In 2002, Napolitano won the Arizona gubernatorial election. While governor, she became the first woman to chair the National Governors Association, where she helped to create the Public Safety Task Force and the Homeland Security Advisors Council.

President Obama nominated Napolitano for Secretary of Homeland Security mid-way through her second term as governor, and in January she became the first woman appointed secretary in the relatively new department.

80 Million Strong: Lobbying Congress

2009-07-16T12:13:00.001-07:00

We're back from the 80 Million Strong Summit and excited about the issues and possibilities raised by the over 100 Millennials who contributed their ideas. Our own Claire Morgenstern (from Pittsburgh, PA) took part in the conference and lobbied her Congressman on behalf of the 80 Million Strong agenda. Read on to find out how Claire made a difference:

After a long day of formulating policy on everything from green initiatives and health care to student loans and cyber security, we returned to the Capitol to do a crucial final vote in which each participant would rank the policies we had created in order of importance. Once the votes were tallied, we would be able to see which initiatives our group felt were most crucial overall to the health and wealth of the millennial generation.

After an inspirational talk from Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, our main task that day was to leave the security of our meeting room and into the offices of senators and congressmen to lobby for the policies we had spent so many hours fine-tuning the day before. We broke into groups based on our home states and prepared for our pre-scheduled meetings with state representatives. My group, Pennsylvania, was made up of about six constituents who represented various regions throughout the state—Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, State College (home to Penn State), and towns and suburbs in between. We would be meeting with the legislative assistant of democratic senator Bob Casey. Having heard Casey speak in Pittsburgh to endorse Obama last Spring, I knew our proposal wouldn’t be a hard sell; still, it was important that our argument be well-articulated.

Casey’s thing is national security, so we brainstormed ways to connect his interests to our cause—creating more jobs. A pressing concern for our country is the need to increase cybersecurity. We reasoned that young people, on the whole, are more tech savvy than older people, which would make them the ideal candidates to fill new positions in an expanded cybersecurity sector.

Casey’s legislative assistant, Bryn McDonough, met us in the lobby of Casey’s office, which is located in the high-ceilinged, marble-floored Russel Building across the street from the Capitol. She led us into a conference room adorned with Pennsylvania memorabilia—copies of vintage postcards announcing “Greetings From” different cities throughout the state blown up to poster-size and a plate of oversized cookies that claimed to have been baked in Pennsylvania.

“I’m sure you have an agenda prepared,” Bryn said, gesturing to us to start. The chosen member of our group explained the growing need for cybersecurity experts, and that creating new jobs in this field would both employ large numbers of young people and help keep the United States safe. Another member of our group offered a personal story, as we had been told to do during our lobby training session that morning. She had graduated from Penn State a year-and-a-half ago with four degrees in the field of information technology. Since then, she has been unable to find employment, often going through the interview process but never getting hired. She went back to the job she held during high school, working at McDonald’s, but was forced to cut her hours from 40 to 8 hours a week. If her parents hadn’t taken her and her husband in, she said, they would be homeless. If the government created more jobs for information technology professionals, she concluded, she would be able to use her skills in a way that also helped her country.

Bryn patiently took notes while we took turns speaking.

“I completely agree with you,” she said when we were finished. “I am part of your generation too, and we know that the government needs to find a way to use the unique skill set that young people have and older people don’t.” She gave each one of us her card and invited us to a bi-weekly constituent breakfast that Casey holds, which happened to be the following morning. Then she shook our hands and led us out of the building.

What a lot of people don’t realize is how easy it is to make contact with your local state representatives, and that many representatives actually rely on feedback from their constituents to determine future courses of action according to what’s best for their state and the country. So if there’s something bugging you that you think your government representatives might be able to help with, don’t shy away from letting them know. Use the TALK BACK widget on the Declare Yourself website (scroll down) to write an email to your representatives. They’re called representatives for a reason—their job is to represent you. So make sure they’re doing it right!

Your ideas please! The 80 Million Strong Summit

2009-07-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, 100 young Americans will meet in Washington to generate an innovative, open forum about how to provide the next generation of jobseekers with employment during these challenging economic times.

Declare Yourself will be actively participating as part of the 80 Million Strong for Young American Jobs Coalition summit that begins Tuesday in Washington, D.C. On the agenda: making the government aware of the Millenial generation's difficulties in coping with the recession and providing creative solutions for these issues. Concrete proposals will center around creating jobs that have a foundation in volunteerism, public service, and evolving fields like technology, healthcare and the environment.

The summit will result in a collective legislative proposal that will directly engage with policymakers.

Please share YOUR ideas, questions, input and advice with US, so that we may bring your voices to the summit as well! Leave a comment, or interact with us on Twitter; send us a tweet @80MS

Check back for more updates!

Got questions about health care? Ask the president!

2009-06-29T15:37:00.000-07:00

One of the hot topics in Washington is now coming to a computer screen near you. As legislation on health care reform moves through Congress, the White House is opening its ears to the public to answer questions from everyday citizens about how the administration is trying to bring affordable and accessible health care to everyone. On Wednesday, President Obama will hold an online town-hall meeting with some of his top health care advisors to answer your questions! This will be the first time the White House has used forums like Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube in an official town hall meeting. Watch the President's video, and make your own response to it here!

If you are a Twitter user, ask YOUR question about health care using the hashtag #WHHCQ. If you have access to facebook, join the conversation here!

Secretary of Education

2009-06-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

Name: Arne Duncan
Hometown: Hyde Park, Chicago
Current City: Washington, D.C.
Job at time of Appointment: CEO of Chicago Public Schools
Age: 44

Arne Duncan graduated from Harvard University in 1987 with a degree in sociology. After a brief career in professional basketball (he has played pickup games with President Obama), he entered the field of education and became director of a program to provide better educational opportunities for children on the South Side of Chicago.

In 2001, Mayor Richard Daley appointed Duncan to serve as CEO of the Chicago Public School system. During his tenure, Duncan oversaw the nation's third-largest school district and established himself as a mediating figure with a knack for consensus-building. Obama lauded Duncan for improvements in the Chicago district-- known as one of the most challenging in the nation-- such as a rising graduation rate, merit-based pay for teachers, and the opening of new schools. Duncan eschews partisanship in issues of education; he has managed to maintain the support of teacher's unions despite his backing of reforms they oppose, and he was the only big-city superintendent to sign competing education manifestos put forth last summer.

Voter Registration Modernization

2009-06-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks, the blogs have been abuzz with praise for Voter Registration Modernization (or VRM, as people have come to call it). VRM supports the automatic registration of every eligible American. It cuts down on registration errors, ensures every American their constitutional right to vote, and – according to a new study from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund – saves the nation quite a bit of money!

The PIRG study surveyed 100 counties for this study and concluded that those counties alone spent over 33 million dollars on “simple registration implementation and error correction issues in 2008.” With thousands of counties across the country, it’s difficult (and daunting) to hazard a guess as to how much America spends on the voter registration process in total.

“Too much time, effort, and money is spent at the local level reacting to and paying for our paper-driven, mistake-riddled registration process. Our system creates challenges for local officials and wastes taxpayer dollars,” says U.S.PIRG Education Fund Democracy Advocate, Lisa Gilbert.

At Declare Yourself, we’ve been championing VRM since early this year when we brought the issue up at the Constitutional Convention 2.0. Support for the initiative was overwhelming; at the mock-Continental Congress, convened delegates passed the Automatic Voter Registration amendment by an overwhelming 84%!

VRM would also allow us to concentrate more of our efforts on actually getting out the vote on Election Day and increasing participation in government. Perhaps this new study will convince Americans – and our legislators – that modernizing the voter registration system would benefit both the civic and fiscal wellbeing of our country!

Jobs, Baby, Jobs!

2009-06-02T16:30:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I made the long trek cross country to attend my best friend’s graduation from NYU (also my alma mater). Since Washington Square is under renovation, the graduation took place at the newly built Yankee Stadium, uptown. Fresh-faced grads swarmed the stadium, clad in purple robes and boundless optimism. Even the weather took an upward turn: the sun shining, the breeze whistling through the aisles.

The celebratory tone of the day masked the economic reality awaiting 2009 grads: the economy is down, jobs are scarce, Millennials don’t know where to turn.

But listening to the speakers at NYU graduation, the trials of the economy and the job market seemed miles away. The theme running through the ceremony was "community." NYU, after all, is the most unlikely of communities – spanning the many boroughs and neighborhoods of New York City.

Even the keynote speaker - Hillary Clinton - caught onto the theme of the day, stressing the need for every American to become a “citizen ambassador" and foster a truly global community. Addressing the dwindling job market, Hillary flashed a smile and beckoned the students, “We’re hiring!”

Unfortunately, not all employers are so eager to take on new employees. Among young people, the unemployment rate is 19%. (That’s twice the national average!) My friends graduating now are facing one of the most unpredictable economies this country has ever seen.

In order to combat the dwindling job market, Declare Yourself has partnered up with a new initiative called 80 Million Strong for Young American Jobs. On July 14th and 15th, the 80 Million Strong Coalition is hosting a summit in Washington DC. At the summit, we’re going to be convening young leaders from across America to collaborate on ideas about how to build an economy that reflects our greatest strengths as a generation.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY AND JOIN THE CONVERSATION!

After all, if we’re going to stand a chance in this economy, we’ve got to band together and form a community – a community that is 80 million Millennials strong.

Trust me, if NYU can do it, so can we…

SEE YOU IN DC!

We Won a Telly Award!

2009-05-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

Remember our "Muzzler" PSA campaign starring Jessica Alba and Hayden Panettiere? Here's a bit of a refresher:

The production company who helped us produce the piece, United Front Films, submitted the PSA for the 30th Annual Telly Awards… And WE WON!

Video Credits: Producer: Michael Abbott, Director: Brandon Kraines, Writer: Greg Rosenzweig, Co-Producer: Sun de Graff

Curing Swine Flu: One Tweet at a Time...

2009-05-04T16:52:00.001-07:00

In our last post, we blogged about the White House's newfound love of social media. Check out Obama's latest Weekly Address, in which he explains the importance of Twitter and Facebook in disseminating information about Swine Flu.

Avoid disinformation by checking out the @whitehouse tweets on the epidemic:

Obama Gets Schooled!

2009-05-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

There’s been quite a bit of talk, in the past few months, about the importance of transparency in government. During the campaign, transparency was one of Obama’s favorite buzzwords and post-election, the White House has doubled its efforts to make sure that Americans are kept up to date on the latest news coming out of the White House:

-You can read the White House Blog
-You can check out the Weekly Addresses, Press Briefings, and important events on YouTube

-You can follow them on Twitter @WhiteHouse

-You can friend the White House on Facebook and MySpace

-You can keep tabs on where money is going in government via Transparency.gov

Social networking and Web 2.0 are definitely important strides towards Obama’s proclaimed “new era of openness,” but what are all of these networks really doing to improve transparency? This week, NYU’s Brennan Center took Obama back to school with their Transparency Report Card – awarding him everything from A+ to F!

What do you think? Is the administration not going far enough to improve transparency in government? Are they going too far? Leave us a comment!

More Voters in 2010!

2009-04-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

This year, two million more young voters showed up at the polls than in 2004. According to CIRCLE, turnout rose to 51% -- the third highest youth voter turnout in history.

These numbers are encouraging. Young people across the nation are taking an interest in national politics in unprecedented numbers! However, the same statistic also indicates that 48.9 % of young Americans did not show up.

Think about it like the glass half-full, glass half-empty conundrum… everyone's happier when the glass is just plain full!

CIRCLE’s research shows hat one of the determining factors in youth voter turnout was level of education. Typically, college enrolled voters turned out at a higher rate (62%) than those who aren’t enrolled (32%). This is likely due to last election’s large-scale campus organizing movements.

Looking towards 2010, Declare Yourself wants to find new ways to get young people to REGISTER AND VOTE – regardless of whether or not they’re in college. How do you think we should do it? Leave us a comment!

Serve.gov & the Civic Generation

2009-04-22T15:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Barack Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Learn and Serve America Act - sweeping reform that will triple the size of Americorps, strengthen existing nonprofits, and give educational grants to students who serve their country. Sweeping reform like this has not been seen since the creation of the Peace Corps by JFK in 1961. Alongside this new legislation, the White House also introduced Serve.gov, a new platform for volunteerism and national service.

And the timing could not be better: young Americans are clamoring for new, exciting ways to take part in their community. A recent USA Today article calls Millennials "the Civic Generation," whose philanthropic spirit echoes the Greatest Generation of the 1930's and 40's. Michael Brown, founder and CEO of City Year, says, “Community service is part of [the Millennials’] DNA.”

I couldn’t agree more. Working at a nonprofit does require passionate dedication to our jobs (and sometimes a bit of personal sacrifice!) Ultimately, we rarely make as much money as classmates who took corporate jobs, we’re often understaffed, and we routinely work long hours to get the job done… But, in the end, its rewarding to know that the work that we do every day will have an effect--even in some small way--on the lives of Americans across the country.

Want to give back? Check out these great resources:

National Service Hub: http://serve.gov

Peace Corps: http://peacecorps.gov

Teach for America: http://teachforamerica.org

City Year: http://cityyear.org

The United Way: http://liveunited.org

Habitat for Humanity: http://habitat.org

The Red Cross: http://redcross.org

Nonprofit Job Postings / Volunteer Opportunities: http://idealist.org

Volunteer Opportunities: http://declareyourself.com

We're a Webby Honoree!

2009-04-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

Back before the election, Declare Yourself partnered up with VotoLatino to bring you "La Pasion de la Decision," a series of voter registration telenovelas/PSAs starring Wilmer Valderrama, Rosario Dawson, and Tony Plana.

We’re proud to announce that “La Pasion de la Decision” was honored with a Webby Honoree Recognition for Public Service and Activism in online video!

Check out the first telenovela in the series…

What will happen next? Will Rodrigo register to vote? Will he and Carmen ever marry? And why is Lola so evil? Check out the next three telenovelas at DeclareYourself.com!

UPDATE: Service Act Passes in Senate!

2009-03-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

We recently blogged about the House’s passage of the GIVE Act, designed to provide educational grants as incentives to take part in public service.

Great news! Last week, the Senate passed similar legislation – the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act – which reinforces many of the key aspects of the GIVE Act. The bill expands service opportunities to 250,000 per year, motivates young people through educational grants, provides better service opportunities for seniors and Boomers and establishes a “Social Innovation Fund” to identify and grow organizations working to solve tough problems on a community level. Another key aspect of the Serve Act is that it designates 9/11 as a National Day of Service.

This bill is expected to easily pass the House and Barack Obama will be able to sign the measure as early as this week! However, as Obama notes,

“Our work is not finished when I sign this bill into law – it has just begun. While our government can provide every opportunity imaginable for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to sieze those opportunities.”

What will you do to give back to your community? Leave a comment!

Google Mapping Our Economic Recovery!

2009-03-30T17:21:00.001-07:00

On February 17, 2008, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in a new effort to jumpstart our economy. As I write this blogpost, funds from the Recovery Act are being allocated in districts across the country to modernize our nation’s infrastructre, enhance our energy independence, expand educational opportunities, improve healthcare, provide tax relief and help Americans in need.

All of that sounds great, but how are these funds directly affecting the American people?

In an effort to answer that question, Representative Doris Matsui of Sacramento released a Google Map last week that details exactly where this funding is being allocated in her district. According to Matsui, “Transparency and accountability have been key components of the economic recovery bill." And how better to achieve these components than Web 2.0 technology?

Click here to check out the map.

Curious where are funds going in your district? Email your Congressperso n and ask that they put this information online like Representative Matsui!

Secretary of Labor

2009-03-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

Name: Hilda L. Solis
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Current City: Washington, D.C.
Job at time of Appointment: served in the United States House of Representatives for CA
Age: 51

Solis was raised in California by immigrant parents from Nicaragua and Mexico. She earned degrees from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and the University of Southern California and worked for two federal agencies in Washington D.C. She was the first Hispanic woman to serve in the State Senate, and was re-elected there in 1998. She is known for her work toward environmental justice and recieved the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2000. She is the first Hispanic woman to serve as secretary in the U.S. cabinet.

School of Hard Knocks

2009-03-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

A word from our Executive Director, Marc Morgenstern

I went to a college whose anthem blissfully toasted “Bright college years with pleasures rife, the shortest gladdest years of life.” I imagine these words coming out of the upturned mouths of letter-sweatered undergrads, all male of course, whose biggest concern was the ratio of vodka to vermouth in their post-game martini. After all, post-grad jobs were easy to pluck.

Those days seem quaint now. These bright college years have lost much of their wattage to chronic worry. And the loudest refrain, at least from the college students I know, is: how do I make a living in the worst economic crisis in eighty years?

So, with glasses held high we toast the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act this week. Forgive the tortured acronym because GIVE, like a similar Senate bill, provides higher education grants to students who participate in community service projects.

This effort not only triples federally-supported volunteer activities, according to our friends at Mobilize.org who were instrumental in pushing the bill, it answers the other question on collegiate lips: how can I afford to do good in this economy? All the calls for national service are as hollow as an empty glass if young people can only volunteer on

their parents’ dole.

According to the latest federal stats, 15.5 percent of young people ages 16-24 are unemployed, way behind the rest of the nation's workforce. Education grants are great. But the “gladdest” legislative solution is creating real jobs that combine the urge to serve with a passable payday.

Secretary of Energy

2009-03-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

Name: Steven Chu
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Current City: Washington, D.C.
Job at time of Appointment: professor at the University of California, Berkeley and the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Age: 61

The Secretary of Energy position was one of the most anticipated choices of the Obama Cabinet. In recent years, the boundaries of the job description have slowly blended with other cabinet positions. With the success of the Green Jobs movement, the Energy Secretary will have to focus more on jobs and labor. Our relationships with oil producing countries overseas have given the position an international flavor, and in the coming years the Secretary of Energy will have to focus much more on National Security and foreign relations. As America becomes a greener country, the Secretary of Energy will become an important voice within the Cabinet.

Steven Chu attended Berkeley and later became a professor of physics at Stanford University in 1987. Chu comes from a family of scholars; his father earned an advanced chemical engineering degree at MIT while his maternal grandfather earned advanced civil engineering degrees at Cornell University.As a scientist, Chu is known for his research in cooling and trapping of atoms with laser light, which won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997. He is a vocal advocate for more research into alternative energy and nuclear power, arguing that a shift away from fossil fuels is essential to combat global warming.

John McCain Agrees to a "Twitterview"

2009-03-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

During the 2008 campaign, the media often gave John McCain a hard time for not knowing how to check his email and many critics felt he was out of touch with the internet generation. At one point, McCain even admitted:

“I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon... I don’t expect to be a great communicator, I don’t expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need.”

Now, John McCain is taking strides to combat his old image... and where better to start than Twitter?

On Tuesday March 17, at 12PM, George Stephanopolous will conduct a fifteen minute "twitterview" with John McCain! The fun part: since the interview will be conducted entirely through Twitter's microblogging platform, they’ll have to limit their questions and answers to 140 characters each.

Got a question you want to ask @JohnMcCain? Tweet your proposed question to @GStephanopolous right now! Then tune in to Twitter on Tuesday to see if your question makes the cut!

Secretary of the Treasury

2009-03-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

Name: Timothy F. Geithner
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Current City: Washington D.C.
Job at time of appointment: President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Age: 47

Before his nomination to the Treasury, Secretary Geithner served as the ninth president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he began on November 17, 2003. He served as the vice chairman and a permanent member of the Federal Open Market Committee, the group responsible for preparing the nation's fiscal policy. Geithner's nomination came under scrutiny due to his failure to pay more than $30,000 in overdue taxes.

Geithner ultimately received Senate confirmation, but he was condemned for not following the rules of the Internal Revenue Service, which is a child agency of the Treasury Department he now oversees.

Not Good Enough!

2009-03-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

24 million young people voted in the 2008 Presidential Election, but registration problems stopped millions more before they could get into the voting booth. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) began hearings March 11th on how to fix problems that hit 18-29 year olds especially hard.

Calling voter registration "the life blood of our republic," Schumer opened arguments with an impassioned plea to address the voter registration problems that our last election made plain:

"In the 21st century people shouldn't be denied their constitutional right to vote because of problems caused by an antiquated voter registration system that was set up in the 19th century by the Whig Party."

The time has come to modernize our voter registration system.

Use our Gov It widget to tell Schumer and your congressman that we need new laws to protect our fundamental right to vote. Next year’s critical Congressional election will be here before we know it!

Extra! Extra! Check Out the Latest Headlines at the Newseum!

2009-03-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

Last year, I helped my grandma move. Going through her garage, I happened upon a stack of old newspapers she’d kept in honor of important dates in history: the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the first moon landing, the election of Ronald Reagan.

Since 2003, The Newseum in Washington has been doing the same thing – only on a broader scale. Every day, the Newseum features hundreds of front pages from newspapers around the world. Today, for example, they feature 748 newspapers’ front pages from 69 countries! Check out their amazing tool that maps daily newspaper front pages by city and state:

Visit the NEWSEUM site to play around with this great tool.

Also, if you’ve got a nostalgic streak, you can peruse their Archives section which features important headlines dating back to 2003 (when they first started building this archive). In an age of globalization, where news travels quickly, it’s refreshing to see that newspapers can still thrive on a local level.

Personally, as a member of the Millennial generation, I must confess that I do read most of my news online. But on occasion, I still find myself drawn to the newsstand, laying down my fifty cents for a published, printed record of the life-changing events that define my era.

Attorney General

2009-03-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

Name: Eric Holder

Hometown: Bronx, New York

Current City: Washington, D.C.

Job at time of Appointment: Senior Legal Advisor to Barack Obama during his presidential campaign

Age: 58

In 1988, Eric Holder was appointed judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by President Ronald Reagan. In 1993 he stepped down and accepted an appointment by Bill Clinton to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Holder remained there until his promotion to Deputy Attorney General in 1997. In late 2007, Holder joined Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign as a senior legal advisor and also served on Obama's Vice Presidential Committee.

Holder recently came under fire for his remarks to the Department of Justice on race in America. As the first African-American to hold the position of attorney general, Holder is in an unique position to speak to this issue. Check out this video of his remarks:

video platform video management video solutions free video player

What do you think?

Pappas v. Faar: The Case for Automatic Voter Registration

2009-03-04T13:26:00.000-08:00

It's been exactly four months since Election Day and some counties are still dealing with the aftermath of recounts, registration issues, and challenged ballots!

In the Santa Barbara County Supervisor race, a trial has been raging between the incumbent, Steve Pappas, and his challenger, Doreen Farr. In November, Farr won the election by 806 votes. After a recount, ordered by Pappas in December, one vote was switched to Pappas’ favor. Pappas contested the outcome, citing forgery and illegal registrations – most of which, he contends, occurred in the UC Santa Barbara and Isla Vista areas.

9,000 votes specifically from the UC Santa Barbara campus have been challenged. Due to exponential growth of voter registration efforts on the UCSB college campus, Pappas believes that registration fraud – and ultimately, voter fraud, has occurred. Pappas’ attorneys claim that (allegedly) incomplete and late voter registration forms should not be processed, and correspondingly, those votes should not be counted.

The voter fraud trial between Pappas and Faar is currently on hold, but when proceedings resume on March 11th, Pappas’ attorney is expected to call witnesses who participated in voter registration drives on the UCSB campus. With the echoes of these registration issues still reverberating throughout the local and national news, Americans must look for a way to modernize the system. The time has come for Automatic Voter Registration!

America relies on one of the most outdated systems of voter registration in the world. Wouldn’t life be easier if every American were automatically registered at the age of eighteen? This way, organizations like Declare Yourself could focus less on registering and more on getting out the vote! Also, elected officials like Pappas and Farr could spend less time tied up in court and more time legislating on issues that matter most to Americans!

Visit the Declare Yourself website to talk back to your officials and write a letter to your Secretary of State. Ensure the validity of your vote – and the votes of Americans across the country – by demanding Automatic Voter Registration!

Give Back: What Will YOU Do?

2009-02-20T12:01:00.000-08:00

Students across America have rallied around President Obama's call to service. More and more young people are devoting their time to public service and volunteer opportunities in their communities.

Launched in 2006, the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll seeks to award colleges and universities for their commitment to community service through innovative and effective techniques. This year’s honorees were presented during the American Council on Education Annual Conference in Washington D.C.

The top six colleges (out of a total of 635!) were honored with the “Presidential Award”. Congratulations to:

• Emory University
• Michigan State
• California State University, Fresno
• Brookhaven College
• Duke University
• University of Missouri – Kansas City

Criteria are based on factors such as percentage of students engaged in at least 20 hours of service per semester, whether academic service-learning is a part of the core curriculum, and ratio of alumni who are current AmeriCorps and Peace Corps members.

The awarding is the highest federal recognition a college can receive for this type of commitment. It’s pretty cool seeing how many schools made the honor roll this year, which shows how many students and institutions are dedicated to being a part of their community and putting others before themselves.

Whether you’re in school or not, take some time out of your week to feed the homeless, clean a beach, rebuild the Gulf Coast. The possibilities are endless, but it begins with YOU.

Find out about opportunities in your neighborhood at DeclareYourself.com

Secretary of Defense

2009-02-19T10:02:00.000-08:00

Name: Robert Gates

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

Current City: Washington DC

Job at time of Appointment: Secretary of Defense (for George W. Bush)

Age: 65

Despite a flurry of dissent in the Democratic party, Barack Obama chose the incumbent Secretary of Defense (appointed by George W. Bush) to fill the current cabinet post. Gates joined the CIA in 1966 and spent nearly twenty seven years as an intelligence professional, serving six presidents. In 2006, Gates stepped in as Secretary of Defense after Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. He has also published two books: "Iran: Time for a New Approach," and "From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insiders Story of Five Presidents and How they Won the Cold War."

Communications Team

2009-02-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

Press Secretary

Name: Robert Gibbs
Hometown: Auburn, AL
Current City: Washington D.C.
Job at time of appointment: Communications Director for Barack Obama's Campaign

Age: 37

Initially, some in the DNC regarded Robert Gibbs as a controversial choice for Press Secretary due to his campaign against the nomination of Howard Dean in 2004.

However, Gibbs' skill in deflecting criticism from the Obama campaign quickly earned him the nickname "the enforcer" among Obama staffers. Plus, as a Southerner, his valuable insights earned him respect among the other advisers, and President Obama eventually started calling Gibbs his "one-person Southern focus group" (and judging by Obama's performance in Southern states such as Georgia and North Carolina, you can bet Gibbs earned this title!)

Gibbs held his first official press briefing on January 22, 2009. Check it out:

Photo from javno Video from AP

Communications Director

Name: Ellen Moran
Hometown: Amherst, Massachusetts
Current City: Washington D.C.
Job at time of appointment: Executive Director of Emily's List
Age: 42

Moran came as a surprising choice to many supporters due to the fact that she strongly supported Hillary Clinton through the Primary season.

Though Moran didn't work on the Obama campaign, she has close ties to David Plouffe and David Axelrod.

Before being picked as Communications Director, Moran ran the organization Emily's List, which backs female candidates who support abortion rights. She has also worked for the A.F.L - C.I.O, coordinating their "corporate accountability campaign" against giants like WalMart; and the Democratic National Committee, doing advertising and coordinating campaign activities.

Photo from The Washington Post

Deputy Communications Director

Name: Daniel H. Pfeiffer
Hometown: Wilmington, Delaware
Current City: Washington D.C.
Job at time of appointment: Communications Director for the Obama Campaign
Age: 33

Pfeiffer is probably the most tech-savvy person on the White House staff. At 33, Pfeiffer doesn't quite qualify as a Millennial but he sure knows how to navigate the social networking world! He has an intimate understanding of technologies like MySpace, Twitter and Facebook - all of which played a big role in Obama's success.

Prior to his appointment, Pfeiffer had worked on numerous Senate campaigns, including Tim Johnson, Tom Daschle, and Evan Bayh. Back in 2000, Pfeiffer served as a spokesperson for Al Gore. His wife is a longtime aid to Rham Emanuel.

Photo from The New York Times

Photos and Notes from The Declare Yourself Inaugural Ball -- The Youth Movement Is Growing

2009-01-30T12:11:00.002-08:00

Special Guest Blogger Jason Pollock

I was lucky enough to go to Declare Yourself's Inaugural Party during my time in Washington D.C. last week. I went with my friend Matt Bologna, who is a professional photographer. He took amazing pics that I wanted to share with you. Click here to check out Matt's awesome pics.

Declare Yourself was started by the legendary Norman Lear to be the major youth movement in America. They have a number of on-going campaigns and are very effective with their voter registration, celebrity outreach, and youth organizing. It is inspiring to be able to work with them and I am honored by their support of my feature film and non-profit movement, The Youngest Candidate. Marc Morgenstern and Diana Nguyen run Declare Yourself with Norman Lear and their brilliance and hard work is unlike any other I have seen in the non-profit world. Norman Lear is so inspiring to me. He has dedicated his life to being a truly engaged citizen of America and I think he is someone we all need to look up to as an example of what one person can do in our democracy.

I did a lot of work with Declare Yourself before the presidential election this year. SEIU, Zune, and Declare Yourself were the major sponsors of my 21-city battleground state tour to get the youth vote out before election day. It was truly wonderful to celebrate the inaugural with people who you worked so hard with. For me, that was one of the best things about being in D.C. last week. It was feeling the special connection that we all had because of the immense amounts of work we all did before this recent election day.

It was wonderful to get to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama in D.C., but throughout the parties that I went to I could sense a feeling that everyone was now really ready to get to work. I'd like to think that the organizers and policy makers at these events understand the dire times we are now in and are ready to try and make real change for America. My work with the youth movement is not over. I am so inspired by what the youth movement did in 2008 and seeing the Declare Yourself Inaugural party was a huge sign of the power that the youth movement has created.

Needless to say their party was amazing. They had great speakers and performers. Norman Lear spoke about one of their new campaigns, Born Again American. Jamie Foxx, Jessica Alba, and Hayden Panettierre also spoke about their excitement for the current youth movement in America. Then John Legend and Maroon 5 performed. Then Samantha Ronson rocked the crowd and DJ'd (with Lindsay Lohan on stage) late into the night. Check out Matt's pics, they are rad... Thank you so much Declare Yourself for all your work and the amazing party!

-jp

Read more from Jason Pollock at www.theyoungestcandidate.com

Dear Mr. President,

2009-01-30T10:51:00.001-08:00

These days, everybody has an opinion about what our new president should be doing... even kids!

The after-school tutoring program 826 asked students from around the country to write letters to the President-Elect. A compilation of these letters, called Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids Letters to President Obama was released on Inauguration Day.

Check out this (ADORABLE!) video, featuring some of the authors reading their original works:

We've also reposted some of the best letters below:

Dear President Obama,
Here is a list of the first ten things you should do as president:
1. Fly to the White House in a helicopter.
2. Walk in.
3. Wipe feet.
4. Walk to the Oval Office.
5. Sit down in a chair
6. Put hand sanitizer on hands.
7. Enjoy moment.
8. Get up.
9. Get in car.
10. Go to the dog pound.

Sincerely,
Chandler Browne, age 12, Chicago

Dear President Obama,
Are you going to be pictured on our money? How do you get in the White House? Do you like Abraham Lincoln? Do you have a big backyard? Martin Luther King, Jr. had big fans. How many fans do you have? You could help us by giving us food. I am Luis Ramirez. I go to school at Mayberry. I like to play video games.

Luis Ramirez, age 8, Los Angeles

Dear President-elect Obama,
Congratulations on the election. My name is Moses Williams, I am 12 years old and I want to be a director. The job of president is kind of like being a director. "Director of the country!" I think if I were older, more experienced, and in this position I could help you with relationships with other countries because, well, most of the world doesn't really like us and a lot of my friends were people who didn't like me at first. Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,
Moses Williams, New York

You are just like a big me.

Avante Price, age 7, Seattle

Declare Yourself is at the Constitutional Convention 2.0!

2009-01-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

Declare Yourself is in Philadelphia -- the cradle of our democracy -- to take part in The Constitutional Convention: Building Democracy 2.0.

Hosted by Mobilize.org, The National Constitution Center, The National Conference on Citizenship, Why Tuesday, and (of course!) Declare Yourself, the Constitutional Convention 2.0 is a chance for young people to revisit this seminal document of American history and figure out how to "upgrade" it for the Millennial Generation.

Today, we took part in the Constitutional Convention: a group of delegates (students and civic education leaders from around the country) got together to propose sixteen new amendments to our Constitution. The Amendments varied widely, including everything from: expanding the "Equal Rights Amendment" to include sexual preference, to public funding of elections.

Declare Yourself, always eager to champion the cause of voter registration reform, put forth a proposal for "Automatic Voter Registration," in which every eligible eighteen year old would be registered to vote.

In the debate process, each team has the chance to present their Amendment, the delegation asks questions and debates the pros and cons of the ideas, and finally, the idea is put to a vote.

Sounds easy, right? Here's the catch: you need a 2/3 vote in order to pass your amendment. Anything less and your idea is tossed out!

After hours -- yes, hours! -- of debate on the various issues, the delegates had eliminated all but two of the Amendments: statehood for Washington D.C. and... you guessed it! Automatic Voter Registration.

With 81% percent of the vote, Automatic Voter Registration was by far the most popular Amendment proposed!

So... let's get started! Voter registration reform is within our grasp. As the Millennial Generation, we are one of the most powerful voting blocs in the country. Why should we stop here? Let's fight for a Constitutional Amendment to ensure every eligible American is automatically registered to vote!

Go to www.DeclareYourself.com and scroll down to the Talk Back to Your Government widget to write a letter to your representative!

Who Knew CNN and Facebook were BFF's?

2009-01-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

So what does CNN have in common with Facebook? Not much on the surface, but the two are partnering up on Inauguration day (Jan. 20th) to allow users to watch the historical event on CNN.com while still communicating with their friends on Facebook. "Facebookers" will be able to go to the Live page on CNN.com to see Inauguration events while still being linked to Facebook. The live page is split into three segments with streams from the Inauguration and then your basic Facebook status updates, as well as a section that displays your friends.
The idea for this came up when CNN noticed that after election night everyone ran back to their computers to post updates about the election on their Facebook profiles. So for all you social network addicts, don't fret, you won't even have to move your head away from Facebook for one second in order to enjoy the Inauguration as well.

Declare Yourself's 'A New Birth of Citizenship' Inauguration Kick-Off Event with Host Jessica Alba and Musical Performance by Maroon 5

2009-01-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

Special Surprise Guests & Premiere of "Born Again American" Song Included in Evening's Festivities

On January 18th at 8pm Declare Yourself is celebrating the new presidential term with our Inauguration kick-off event at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC. The star-soaked event will celebrate young voters' phenomenal role in the Election and help spur ongoing civic involvement in the challenging months and years ahead. The evening will be hosted by Jessica Alba and will feature special musical guests including Maroon 5, spoken word artists Steve Connell, Sekou (Tha Misfit), Nuttin' But Strings, celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson, and surprise guests.

The debut of Declare Yourself's "Born Again American" song will premier that evening with a fantastic live performance. The song was specifically written to help spark all listeners to recommit themselves to American citizenship (especially through these difficult times)."Born Again American" asks citizens to pledge themselves to higher levels of service and civic engagement. Norman Lear, the founder of Declare Yourself, said, "This Inauguration marks an important moment in our country's history - one that allows us all to be proud of how far we've come and the direction we're going. Our event celebrates this moment and helps motivate us all to become more active in our communities on the local and national level by getting involved, giving back, and being proud to be an American, born again."

Tickets cost $250 and are available to the public by contacting Rachel@hirschbergstrategies.com or calling (202) 547-5797. The proceeds from the evening will go towards Declare Yourself and the "Born Again American" campaign launch in coordination with the Inauguration and the start of the new Presidential administration.
http://www.declareyourself.com/about_us/events.html

Tweet Congress!

2008-12-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

So the election is over and you voted and made your voice heard...so now what? KEEP TALKING! There are some great web tools to help you reach out to your Congressperson and tell them what YOU want. In your elementary school in need of books? Do you want Blagojevich out of office? How do you feel your Senator is representing your state? TELL THEM!

My new favorite social media discovery is Tweet Congress (www.TweetCongress.org). If you have a Twitter account, check to see if your Congresspeople (Congresstweeple) or Senators are on and tweeting! You can follow individuals like Nancy Pelosi (here: twitter.com/nancypelosi) or visit the Tweet Congress tweetstream to view all congresstweeple's tweets.

You can follow where your congresspeople are going, what they are working on and reply back! Check out the Declare Yourself tweetstream as well at http://twitter.com/declareyourself

Btw I dont think I've ever said "tweet" so many times...

How Can You Help President-Elect Obama Create Change?

2008-12-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

Have an idea to make lasting a social or political impression on America? We want to hear it!

We are proud to announce that the Constitutional Convention: Building Democracy 2.0 will be held on January 9-11, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!

We are looking to give grants to innovative projects focused on creating lasting social and political change using grassroots methods and new online social media. If you have an idea or an organization that needs funding, apply for the Constitutional Convention: Building Democracy 2.0, and you could receive up to $10,000 to make your idea a reality. Click here to find out more.

This summit is being held by Declare Yourself, Mobilize.org, Why Tuesday, Change.org, the National Constitution Center and the National Conference on Citizenship.

Help Define the Presidential Agenda and Provoke Social Change!

Declare Yourself is supporting "Ideas for Change in America," a groundbreaking citizen-driven effort to help define President-elect Barack Obama's presidential agenda, and we want YOU to participate!

Visit Change.org and submit your ideas on how you would advance change on an important issue, then discuss with others, and vote on the best suggestions from across the country. The top 10 ideas will be announced in the days leading up to the inauguration and then be presented to the Obama administration!

Declare Yourself is going to the Inauguration!

Declare Yourself will be in Washington DC for the week of the inauguration and we will be blogging live! Check out the Declare Yourself blog for updates on inauguration events, politics, and people! DY will also be throwing an inauguration kick-off event in DC so stay tuned for more details!

White House Counsel

2008-11-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

White House Counsel
Name: Gregory B. Craig
Hometown: Norfolk, Va.
Current City: Washington, D.C.
Job at time of appointment: Advisor for 2008 Obama campaign, lawyer
Age: 63

A well-known Washington lawyer, Greg Craig was an early supporter and aide to Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign, and will now serve as White House Counsel.

Having known both Bill and Hillary Clinton from their days at Yale Law School and directed former President Clinton's defense team during his impeachment trial, in addition to serving as a State Department official during Clinton's term, Craig's Obama endorsement was a surprise to many in Washington.

Craig boasts an impressive resume, being a partner at a top Washington firm, Williams & Connolly, LLP, representing several public figures and acting as foreign policy advisor to Sen. Edward Kennedy, and is expected to bring a depth of foreign policy knowledge and negotiation experience to the Obama presidency.

Photo from Free Republic

Obama's Senior Advisors

2008-11-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

Senior Advisors
Name: David Axelrod
Hometown: Manhattan
Current City: Chicago
Job at time of Appointment: Chief strategist for 2008 Obama campaign, AXP&D consultant
Age: 52

Hailed as the mastermind of the extremely successful Obama campaign, David Axelrod is graduating from his post as chief strategist for the campaign and moving on to become one of the new president's senior advisors.

Credited for some of the Obama campaign trademarks, such as "hope" and "change," Axelrod has also served on campaigns for Sens. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Chris Dodd.

A consultant for AXP&D Message and Media, Axelrod was a top political reporter before leaving the Chicago Tribune in 1984. As a consultant, he is known for being an "advertising guy" and a "postideological approach."

Photo from USA Today

Name: Valerie Jarrett
Hometown: Shiraz, Iran
Current City: Chicago
Job at time of appointment: Strategist for the 2008 Obama Campaign, President and CEO of The Habitat Co.
Age: 52

A longtime mentor for both Barack and Michelle Obama, Valerie Jarrett was the chief of staff for former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley when she hired Michelle for a job in his office.

Prior to becoming the chief of staff for the mayor's office and then the city-planning commissioner, Jarrett was a corporate lawyer in a large Chicago firm. In 1995, she left city government to work for The Habitat Co., a for-profit-real-estate firm, rising to become President and CEO. The firm has been accused of mismanagement of some of its properties, which include range from public housing to luxury condos, according to the Boston Globe.

Her longstanding relationship with the Obamas has led to a strew of nicknames, including "First Friend," "big sister" and "the other half of Obama's brain." Jarrett has been co-chair of the Obama transition team and will be become a top White House advisor, taking her name out of contention as a Senate replacement for the president-elect.

Photo from The University of Chicago Chronicle

Name: Pete Rouse
Hometown: New Haven
Current City: Washington, D.C. and Chicago
Job at time of appointment: Barack Obama's chief of staff in the Senate
Age: 62

Having spent three decades on Capitol Hill, Peter Rouse's job as Barack Obama's Senate office chief of staff was to introduce Obama to the workings of Washington, being, as The Washington Post called him, "The Outsider's Insider."

Prior to becoming Obama's chief of staff, co-chairman of the transition team and future senior advisor, Rouse served as the chief of staff to former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D - SD) for 19 years, holding the same position for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) when he was in the House and for former Lt. Gov. Terry Miller of Alaska.

Known as "The 101st Senator" during his long tenure with Daschle, Obama picked up Rouse as his chief of staff following Daschle's loss in 2004. Since then, Rouse has strategically steered Obama in the right political direction to become president, and is expected to continue to use his insider knowledge of Washington to aide the new president-elect.

Photo from The Washington Post

WH Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel

2008-11-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

Chief of Staff
Name: Rahm Emanuel
Hometown: Chicago
Job at time of appointment: Congressman, Chicago representative
Political Party: Democratic
Age: 48

Barack Obama chose a fellow Chicago congressman to be his White House chief of staff, bringing in the No. 4 Democrat in the House of Representatives and a former senior Clinton advisor.

In the House since 2003, Rahm has served on the important House Ways and Means Committee and was elected to be the Democratic Caucus Chair in 2007, making him the fourth highest ranked member of the House Democrats.

Nicknamed Rahmbo for his tough, combative style in the Clinton administration, Rahm had a successful venture in the world of investment banking before moving into Congress.

Rahm graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a liberal arts degree, and went to Northwestern University for a masters degree in speech and communication.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

The Youngest Candidate

2008-11-21T16:46:00.001-08:00

For those of you who want to avoid the crush of Twilight fans (pale is the new tan btw) at the local movie theater this weekend....check out The Youngest Candidate! The film will be released soon so check out the trailer and spread the word!

2008-11-20T14:45:00.000-08:00

President-elect Obama promises “new chapter” on climate change
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 09:54am EST /
More than 600 climate change leaders from across the country and around the world convened in Los Angeles today for the opening sessions of the Global Climate Summit, a 2-day event arranged by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to break gridlock on the issue ahead of next month's United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland.

Watch President-Elect Obama's latest video on the Global Climate Summit. MORE

If I Were President

2008-11-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

What would you do if you were president? Check out this video from http://www.247townhall.org/ and (in our comments box) tell us what you would do if you were president.

What now for the Party of Hope and Ideas?

2008-11-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

"Hopefully, in the future, another crazy, independent child of a politician will also draw back the curtain on a journey that so few people get the chance to see up close, and not adhere to an image that is long overdue for change."

Megan McCain wrote these words in her latest blog entry, which remains her final post on The Blogette. The 24 year old was the face of young Republicans for her father, Senator McCain's, campaign. Her blog chronicled the campaign through pictures, video, and stories (and of course a song of the day), showing McCain not as a seasoned politician, but a father and war hero.

Despite this attempt to connect with young people, Barack Obama overwhelmingly won the youth vote, 66% to McCain's 33%. Considering Bush's approval rating is hovering around 27%, we can probably assume most American kids and teens, highly influenced by their parents and peers, probably don't hold the highest opinion of the current president either and will likely lean Democratic when they turn 18.

So what will become of the Republican Party? Where are all the Young Republicans? They are going online! A group of under 40 Republicans have built a site called Rebuild the Party in response to the lack of youth support in the Republican party and to the grassroots efforts of the Obama campaign that led to his victory.

"The time is now to set in motion the changes needed to rebuild our party from the grassroots up, modernize the way we run campaigns, and attract different, energetic, and younger candidates at all levels," the site says.

Rebuild the Party is attempting to start a dialogue with young Republicans, requesting their opinions and ideas through a Feedback Forum like this one: http://ideas.rebuildtheparty.com/ This tool allows you to submit ideas for the direction of the Republican National Committee and vote on the ideas others have posted. The suggestion currently in the lead? Reach Out to Ron Paul and the Campaign for Freedom.

"The younger generation is overwhelmingly turning away from the social conservative platform perpetuated by what they see as "old, grumpy, white guys" Instead they are turning by the thousands to people such as Ron Paul and his Campaign for Freedom to give them fresh perspective and a new outlook on the way a government should be run."

The Republican National Committee has also launched a new website that they are terming grassroots called Republican For a Reason. While the site is less of a conversation than Rebuild the Party, although it is yet to be fully developed, they have released this video. The video is meant to inspire young Republicans and remind them that the Republican Party is the Party of hope and the Party of ideas.

So where do you think the Republican Party will be in 4 years? 8 years? How did this video affect you?

The Birth of Generation WE!

2008-11-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

In 1996, 14.5 million young people came to the polls. In 2000, the number rose to 16.2%. In 2004, 19.4 million young people voted.

And now... the exciting news: according to new estimates by CIRCLE, 23 million young people cast their ballots in the 2008 General Election!

In the states where both candidates (not to mention the Declare Yourself Street Teams!) did the most campaigning, youth turnout averaged 59%! These numbers are still rising furiously in states with strong absentee voting campaigns, since many of the late returns are being tallied up while you read this!

So, I double dog dare the media to call us the "Slacker Generation" one more time... The Millennials are coming of age and voting by the millions. As 18% of the voting bloc, WE make the difference.

HOW DID WE DO? Tell us!

2008-11-06T14:57:00.000-08:00

The election is over. The results are in.

The youth vote (that means YOU!) was a major determining factor in this election. In fact, experts say that without the youth vote, Barack Obama would have lost the election.

Your vote is your voice. But remember, you can't vote unless you register.

And this is where we need your help!

Looking forward to 2012, Declare Yourself wants to make the registration process as easy as possible for new voters. Please help us by taking a SHORT SURVEY (only 6 questions!) on about your voter registration experience!

Congratulations to the estimated 22 million young people who voted on November 4th!

You(th) Vote

2008-11-05T13:43:00.000-08:00

Young voters diverged sharply from the population as a whole, preferring Obama/Biden over McCain/Palin by 68% to 30% in the exit polls. This is by far the highest share of the youth vote obtained by any candidate since exit polls began reporting results by age categories in 1976.

About 21.6-23.9 million younger voters went to the polls yesterday, 2.2 million more than in 2004! Preliminary CIRCLE projections show the turnout for young Americans (ages 18-29) is higher than in 2004, a year of significant increase, and is much higher than it was in 2000 and 1996. Like us here at Declare Yourself, the media is waiting to here the official youth turnout numbers!

More bang for your vote

2008-11-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

Who knew voting was such a big deal? Sure, Tuesday's election has been purported as being one of the most groundbreaking elections in U.S. history. But more than just civic participation for your country, casting a vote can score you some free goodies and set you up with some awesome discounts -- and all you need to do is show your "I voted" sticker.

Check out the list below for some of the hot election day deals.

Starbucks: Free tall cup of coffee for voters with vote sticker
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream: Free scoop of ice cream for everyone from 5pm-8pm on Nov. 4th
Krispy Kreme : The donut master will be handing out free, star-shaped goodies to celebrate election day.
O!Burger: The West Hollywood organic fast food stop will give you a free order of fries and organic cookies if you purchase a good ole' fashion American burger after heading to the polls.
Colorodo Wine Co.: Say "cheers" to democracy. The Pasadena wine shop will be giving voters 50% percent off select wines.
Amoeba: Rock out on election day; Amoeba music will be handing out $2-off coupons good toward all merchandise at all of its locations.
Tart: Head on over to Tart on Fairfax in Los Angeles to enjoy a free dessert as you watch the election results pour in.
Critophe Salon: Like her or not, Sarah Palin's do is in. Visit this Beverly Hill's salon for 50% off coupons, and get your own version of the vice presidential hopeful's hairdo.
O'Neill Flagship: Who could forget those pictures of Obama hanging out at the beach that plastered magazine covers last spring? Get your own beach look at O'Neill, and check out the 25% off clothing racks.
American Apparel: Get 15% off and free shipping for online orders of $75 or more at American Apparel's online store for taking its voting quiz.

Photos from the Why Wait Street Team!

2008-11-03T13:38:00.001-08:00

With only one day left to vote early, the Why Wait Street Team is still working hard!

On forty campuses across America, the street team is circulating handpasses with information on how to vote early!

Great job, team! And remember to vote! Visit declareyourself.com/whywait for information on how to vote early in your county!

24% of Americans Voted Early!

2008-11-03T10:22:00.000-08:00

According to a recent Gallup Poll, 24% of Americans have already voted!

Jason Pollock has been traveling across the swing states (thanks to Zune), showing his movie The Youngest Candidate, and helping young people vote early. Here is a piece from his latest blog post:

The tour has been going really well and I know that we are getting students excited to vote in this important election and that is a great thing for America! It has been so exciting to be on the front lines of the election cycle. We have been in MI, OH, TN, NC, FL, and now VA. The battleground states are electrified with election fever and you can feel it wherever you go.

Today is the last day to vote early! If you plan on voting tomorrow, the official election day, you can find your polling place at maps.google.com/vote. Don't forget a picture I.D. and be prepared to wait in line. It will all be worth it when you get that sticker!

Maroon 5 Votes Early

2008-10-30T12:55:00.001-07:00

And now a message from Maroon 5!

Voting Early in Gambier, Ohio

2008-10-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

This year I got the chance to vote in a super swing state: OHIO! I voted early a few weeks ago, which was awesome! Declare Yourself helped, along with Kenyon College's Student Affairs Office, to plan two WHY WAIT? Early Voting Shuttle Days. Over 100 students took the shuttles to Mt. Vernon (a nearby town) to cast their vote early. We even provided students with the forms that they needed to fill out prior to voting, so the process was super quick.

Students voted in-person absentee, which means that once election day comes around, their sealed enveloped will be opened up and their ballot will be counted. Also, there were election officials at the early voting locations who made sure that every person's information was correct and that their ballot would be counted! DY also passed out buttons and stickers to Kenyon students throughout the day. Voting early is quick and easy. Why wait in long lines on election day? Vote early and wear your "I Already Voted" sticker with pride!

Emily Wolfe, Why Wait Ambassador

Kenyon College, Gambier, OH

Tour Update!

2008-10-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Our tour with Zune and The Youngest Candidate documentary is almost over...but there are still 5 schools left! If you want to vote early, we can help you! Come to any of these campuses on these dates and check out the movie The Youngest Candidate and talk to representatives on how you can vote early!

Oct. 30th- UVA
Oct. 31st- Virginia Tech
Nov. 1st- Penn State
Nov. 2nd- Michigan State
Nov. 3rd- Univesity of Cincinnati

"On Oct. 27th and 28th our 'Why Wait?' Tour kicked into full gear as we stormed the early voting locations of FL. Pictured here are our fearless Tour Manager and Rock Star Dan Edinberg and one of the stars of 'The Youngest Candidate', Raul De Jesus. We handed out free Declare Yourself and Zune gear to all the early voters to encourage this incredibly important part of our electoral process. Why Wait? Vote Early. Vote Now!:)" Jason Pollock

You can now watch the trailer for The Youngest Candidate! Go to http://theyoungestcandidate.com/ and click "watch the trailer"

Find Your Polling Place!

2008-10-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

Google has developed this fabulous voter information gagdet. Just enter your address and you can learn where your polling place is, the hours, your voter registration dedline, etc. Try it!

Hollywood Declares Themselves - Part 2....FIVE MORE FRIENDS!

2008-10-29T08:24:00.001-07:00

Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Snoop Dogg, Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts, Ben Stiller, Will Smith, Steven Spielberg, Justin Timberlake, along with Sacha Baron Cohen as “Borat,” Zach Braff, Colin Farrell, Neil Patrick Harris, Scarlett Johansson, Shia LeBeouf, Tobey Maguire, Ryan Reynolds, and Jason Segal, are featured in a second of a series of public service announcements to encourage American youth to vote in partnership with Google, YouTube, Declare Yourself, and MySpace. Also featured in the PSA are everyday Americans speaking about important issues and reasons to vote. The non-partisan PSA’s, produced by DiCaprio’s Appian Way, were created to engage and inspire young people to vote and participate in the upcoming election.

Brittany Snow makes a Declaration

2008-10-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

Declare Yourself has always been about using humor to motivate young people to the polls. Laughter is the best medicine...right? And it cures voter apathy right?

Well either way, we have decided to post this video which is has more of an Indie film feel than our other videos and uses only language from the Declaration of Independence (except the line "I am going to text this to 5 friends...because I'm pretty sure Jefferson didn't have a Sidekicks). If you've been reading this blog then you would know that DY founder Norman Lear owns one of the original 200 copies of the Declaration printed on July 4, 1776 and it has been touring the country regularly since 2000. So this video definitely spoke to us.

Watch it now and post your thoughts! Which person will you be on Nov 4th? With the party crowd...or the loner with the TV? No peer pressure or anything :)

Watch New Videos Now...Why Wait?

2008-10-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the millions of you who have voted early and help make this campaign a success! It's now one week until the election so get to your polling place soon!

If you already voted, help us spread these videos around! From Christina Applegate to T.I., Maroon 5 to Har Mar Superstar, these celebs and activists have come out to speak on behalf of Declare Yourself and early voting. Post them on your blog or MySpace, and email them to your friends!

Got your own early voting video? Send it to us! Post it on MySpace TV and send us the link. We want to hear YOUR reasons for voting early! If we post your video we will send you a VOTE shirt and "I Already Voted" stickers!

Christina Applegate on Voting Early!

Peanut Butter Wolf on Voting Early

Watch all the videos here!

Photo Credit

"Why Wait?" in Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and Iowa!

2008-10-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

This week, Declare Yourself launched a forty-school handpass campaign, concentrated in four battleground states across America. Our handpasses, designed by the legendary political artist Shepard Fairey, feature state-specific informaiton on how to VOTE EARLY in Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and Iowa!

We chose these fours states for their close polling numbers, their notorious history of Election Day problems, and their large college student populations. Florida and Ohio are genuine tossups this year, and North Carolina (historically Republican) and Iowa (historically Democratic) are both in play! This election is up for grabs and as they say -- the early bird catches the worm. So regardless of your political party, make like the birds and VOTE EARLY!

Check out these great photos from our Declare Yourself Street Team at Barry University and the University of Miami. Stay tuned for more pics and keep your eye out for us on YOUR campus!

On the Road with Why Wait, Zune, and the Youngest Candidate

2008-10-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger Jason Pollock

On Saturday Oct. 25th we pulled into The University of Central Florida to lay the smack down on students at this awesome university. Thanks to amazing Zune reps, Tristan Gibeau and Jeff Gillin, we were able to have a sneak peak of the film for some lucky video gamers who had assembled to drink energy drinks and destroy each other in cyber space. The video game competition at UCF was a huge draw and we are so grateful to these gamers for giving us their ear.

The film rocked the students and I spoke to all of them about Early Voting and getting involved in the political system in America. Everyone loved the free Declare Yourself and Zune giveaways on one lucky gamer walked away with a FREE ZUNE. The star of my film, Raul De Jesus, was also there and he spoke to the students about his historic run for mayor of Hartford, CT. I took some great pix of everyone so check them out! Thanks again to UCF for the awesome day!:)

Read more about the tou and Jason here! http://www.theyoungestcandidate.com/main/

T.I. : You Can Vote However You Like

2008-10-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

American rapper, songwriter, producer, and actor, T.I., is speaking our on behalf of voting early! Check out his video below for Why Wait.

Why Wait? To find out how to vote early, go to www.declareyourself.com/whywait

Probably one of the best political songs I've heard yet! Written and performed by the 7th Grade class of Ron Clark Academy, these students modified T.I.'s hit song "Whatever You Like" to "Vote However You Like."

NEW VIDEO TIME!

2008-10-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

We have celebs talking about voting in viral videos all the time. They have a megaphone most of us dont, and when they speak, people listen. But us non-celebs can be just as influential! Like Brad Nizekowski! Check him out in this new video! In the spirit of all those Publishers Clearing House winner videos, we have the Publishers VOTING House winners! You TOO have won ONE VOTE! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NEXT?!?!

Publishers Voting House Winner - Frat Boy

Why Are You Voting?

2008-10-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

Declare your reasons for voting on I Beat You! Jessica Alba and Hayden Panettiere will be judging the contest. If you've alread registered, then you better be brushing up on the issues!

Tell Your Friends to Vote!

2008-10-23T15:33:00.001-07:00

Inspired by the Hollywood Declares Themselves video, the Youth Vote Project created this video. Their goal: to get every high school in America to register every eligible senior before graduation every year.

The Youngest Candidate, Zune, and Declare Yourself in Chapel HIll

2008-10-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger Jason Pollock!

Wednesday Oct 23 - Today in Chapel Hill was awesome! The "Why Wait" campaign of Declare Yourself must be working because the campus was buzzing from EARLY VOTING! The Sneak Peak of "The Youngest Candidate" was great and one lucky audience member walked away with a FREE ZUNE! Many thanks to Niraj Shah who was the Zune rep at the school and helped to put the event together. I took some great pix of the early voting polling place too...

Zune, Declare Yourslf, and "The Youngest Candidate"!

2008-10-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE

Zune speaks to young adults about voting. Joint partnership with Declare Yourself and The Youngest Candidate director, Jason Pollock, to visit college campuses and get the word out

REDMOND, WA — October 20, 2008 — Just in time for the presidential election, Zune is encouraging young adults to get out and vote on November 4, 2008 and is partnering with Declare Yourself, the national non-profit campaign to encourage youth to register to vote and get to the polls, and Jason Pollock, director of the new documentary “The Youngest Candidate.”

Declare Yourself has been working diligently the past few months to inspire youth to register to vote and now with only 16 days to go until the election, Zune is teaming up to get those who registered to cast their vote.

Now through the election, Zune is speaking to more than 2 million music fans by featuring an election page, “Declare Yourself! Election ’08,” in the Zune Marketplace online store, and by creating a “Declare Yourself” page in the online music community, Zune Social. Users can visit the “Declare Yourself” page on the Social to get the latest Declare Yourself public service announcements, political podcasts, custom playlists and to preview and download the trailer of “The Youngest Candidate” documentary, Jason Pollock’s film about four teenagers who ran for public office.

In addition, starting today, Zune will be a part of the “Why Wait? Early Voting” tour with both Declare Yourself and Jason Pollock. The tour will travel on the Zune van to 15 college campuses around the United States in an effort to get the youth vote out before and on Election Day. Director Jason Pollock will host a sneak peak screening of his new film, “The Youngest Candidate” at each tour stop and Zune will hand out free 14-day Zune Pass subscriptions, which give fans unlimited access to millions of tracks available on Zune Marketplace, and will conduct a raffle to give a Zune to one of the students who attends the screening. Declare Yourself will be passing out information on early voting on flyers designed by Shepard Fairey. Pollock will also be writing blogs every day about each stop of the tour on his website, http://www.TheYoungestCandidate.com.

Tour stops include:

10/20 - Duke University

10/21 - North Carolina State University

10/22 - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

10/23 - North Carolina A&T State University

10/24 - University of Florida

10/25 - Univ. of Central FL

10/26 - Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival

10/27 - University of South Florida

10/28 - Florida Atlantic University

10/30 - University of Virginia

10/31 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

11/1 - Pennsylvania State University

11/2 - Michigan State University

11/3 - Ohio University

11/4 - Ohio State University

Zune Marketplace also features political podcasts, downloadable Saturday Night Live political skits and more. To access Zune Marketplace, visit: http://www.zune.net/en-US/entertainment/podcasts. To access the Declare Yourself Social, page visit: http://social.zune.net/member/DeclareYourself and to access the election page on Zune Marketplace visit, http://www.zune.net/DeclareYourself.com.

On the Red Carpet with MySpace

2008-10-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

MySpace just released their coverage of the Declare Yourself Hollywood party! Young, hot, and politically active, these stars came out not just for a good time, but to also to encourage their fans to vote on November 4th (or sooner!).

MySpace Impact at the Declare Yourself Gala!

Check out Amber and Dilshad getting ready for the party!

Amber Stevens says get out and vote!

More Early Voters!

2008-10-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

Perez Hilton voted early! Check out his vlog on it!

Natalie Portman and Kirsten Dunst also voted early!

Will you be voting early? Visit www.declareyourself.com/whywait for more information on how to vote early!

Why Wait is a nonpartisan effort to get out the vote before the official election day. Declare Yourself is encouraging people to vote early to avoid long lines, malfunctioning machines, and conflicting school/work schedules. Declare Yourself is in not endorsing or promoting any candidate or party.

Find Your Polling Place!

2008-10-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

So you're registered....now what? Two things, get informed and then find your polling place! Google has just released their polling place locater on Google Maps. Click here, then enter your address and the map will show you exactly where your polling place is!

Early Voting....Bring it On!

2008-10-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Oh yea, we went there with that post title.

We've been blogging about Early Voting and its catching on! Okay we cant take all the credit, but we can post this picture of Kirsten Dunst walking out of the early voting polling place in Norwalk, CA.

Why Wait? Vote early! www.DeclareYourself.com/whywait

High School Musical 3 on Voting

2008-10-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

An earlier blog post on a high school class president election reminded me of something...HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 COMES OUT THIS WEEKEND!!!! Okay maybe this blogger is a little overexcited for the third installment of a Disney TV movie (on the big screen!) but it's because it's the first time some of the cast will be voting!

During the filming of HSM3, Declare Yourself was invited to visit the set in Utah and talk to the cast about voting and the election. The entire cast couldn't have been nicer! Olesya has been a passionate supporter of Declare Yourself since Sept 2007 and Zac said was excited to vote for the first time. He was originally hesitant to talk about it, since he had never voted before, but that is exactly why we wanted him to talk to our cameras. We are trying to reach out to young people who have NEVER voted before, and to encourage them to vote for the first time in this monumental election. So thank you HSM3 for helping us out!

Check out Zac, Monique, Olesya, and newcomer Matt Prokop in these short and sweet PSAs!

Zac Efron Declares Himself!

Monique Coleman on Voting

Matt Prokop on Voting

Oleysa Rulin on Voting

VOTE EARLY in California!

2008-10-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

Angelinos eager to vote early in the General Election have to make the (not so long!) trek out to the County Registrar's office in Norwalk, CA. This morning, my mother and I followed in the footsteps of almost a thousand LA voters and cast our ballots early!

On the ride down the I-5, we talked about the different initiatives at stake, the candidates, and we shared a few laughs over Sarah Palin's guest-appearance on Saturday Night Live!

We pulled up to the Registrar's Office around 8AM and though it had just opened, there was already a crowd -- not to mention the TV cameras from several major news networks -- piling in through the door. In the elevator, we squeezed in alongside a fellow family couple: a father and daughter. They were registered in different precincts and had they waited until November 4th, they would have had to vote at different polling places. At the County Registrar, they could do it together. He, a seasoned voter...she, casting her ballot for the first time.

In California, we vote early by absentee ballot. This means that when you walk into the polling place, you apply for an absentee ballot, your application is processed while you wait, and within minutes, you've got a blank ballot! You don't use an InkaVote machine when voting early at the County Registrar. Instead, you fill in the bubbles that correspond to your votes, SAT-style. You choose your candidate, your judges, and your opinions on the many propositions at stake. When you're done, you seal the ballot in your absentee envelope, drop it in a slot, and PRESTO! You've voted early!

EXCEPT... if you make a mistake. Which I did. I accidentally filled in the wrong bubble on an incredibly important issue. Luckily for me, in-person voters are allowed three "do-overs" if they mess up.

On the way out, I grabbed an "I Voted" sticker -- yes, you do get one! -- and glanced over at the father and daughter we met earlier. They took their time... laughing and joking over the cardboard partitions that separate the voting booths. He could hardly conceal his pride as she sealed her envelope.

Critics often say that early voting diminishes the importance of Election Day. They say that by voting early, we miss out on the collective consciousness of that first Tuesday in November. I have to respectfully disagree. Election day is a random day when custom dictates that American citizens descend upon the polls to vote for the next president.

In the end, it doesn't matter when you vote, but how you vote. And by that I don't mean your choice of party or your opinion on the propositions...I mean the quality of your voting experience. Go with your friends! Go with your family! Arrange a voting party and carpool to the polls! Make this election meaningful to you.

On the way out of the Registrar's Office, I squeezed my mother's hand as we walked to the car.

"Thanks for coming," I said.

"Are you kidding?" she said, "I wouldn't have missed it for the world!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Early Voting in Los Angeles County takes place at 12400 Imperial Highway, Norwalk, CA.

Weekday Hours: M-F 8AM-5PM, now through November 3rd

Weekend Hours: Sat/Sun October 24th & 26th and November 1st and 2nd, 8AM-4PM

For information on Early Voting in other states, visit DeclareYourself.com/WhyWait

Why Wait? VOTE EARLY!

2008-10-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

So I'm out in Colorado and just helped organize a march to go vote early! Around 400 students at Colorado College and a bunch of community members from Colorado Springs marched down t0 the county clerk's office and voted today...yay! Lucky for me, Colorado is one of 31 states that allows for no-excuse voting early. This means that even if I was fully able to vote on November 4th, I could still vote early instead! Declare Yourself's newest campaign, Why Wait?, is promoting something so key in this election...voting early! Why would anyone want to wait in line at the polls on November 4th, risk having their vote miscounted, and realize last minute they don't have time to go vote and miss their one chance! Don't procrastinate on this guys, if your state allows you to vote early, do it! Why wait?

Sincerely,

Hope

DY Intern

P.S Check out these pictures from the event...Everyone loves DY!

Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama

2008-10-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday he'd be casting his vote for Barack Obama come election day.

The endorsement from the secretary of state who served under George W. Bush for five years, crosses party lines and has been highly anticipated.

The Republican general, who is more moderate than many in his party, said he would wait until after the presidential debates and go into the final weeks of the campaign to make his endorsement.

"Both of [the candidates] are distinguished Americans, who are patriotic and dedicated to the welfare of this country." Powell said on Meet the Press. "Either one of them would be a good president."

Powell has spent time with both candidates, but has been particularly engaging in conversations with Obama on foreign policy and domestic issues in recent months.

Leading up to his endorsement of the Democratic senator, Powell cited concern for his own party.

"I have some concerns about the direction that the party has taken in recent years," he said. " It has moved more to the right than I would like to see it."

Beyond the dismay he feels about the Republican Party, Powell said he believes Obama is ready for the job and displays a fervor requisite of the next president who will need "to fix the reputation that we've left with the rest of the world."

"I watched Mr. Obama, during this seven week period," Powell said. "He displayed a steadiness, an intellectual curiosity, a depth of knowledge, and an approach to looking at problems like [the economic crisis] and picking a vice president that is ready to be president on day one.

Powell praised Obama for exhibiting "intellectual vigor," and giving "us a more inclusive, broader reach into the needs and aspirations of our people."

"He is crossing lines: ethnic lines, racial lines, generational lines," Powell said of the candidate, while denouncing the Republican Party's "narrow" campaign tactics.

The endorsement from Powell is a a major success for the Democratic Party as the general is the most prominent Republican to throw his support behind Obama.

McCain said the Powell's endorsement "doesn't come as a surprise," and also noting he has the support of four other former Republican secretaries of state: Kissinger, Baker, Eagleburger and Haig.

"I think he is a transformational figure, he is a new generation coming onto the world stage, onto the American stage," Powell said in closing. "And for that reason, I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama."

MOVIE TO SEE: Frontrunners

2008-10-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the your high school class presidental election? I do, and for my school it was pretty much a popularity contest...in fact our class president was also our homecoming king.

But at some high schools there is some serious campaigning going on. In Frontrunners, directed by Caroline Suh, four high school students at Stuyvesant High are campaigning to be their school's class president....and all four have very different methods. An entertaining and symbolic campaign documentary, we follow these four charming candidates as they navigate the electoral process that is said to be one of the most competitice at the high school level.

These teenaged candidates face the same issues as candidates of any age, such as picking the right running mate, shaking as many hands as possible, preparing for televised debates, impressing the pundits and journalistic community, addressing sensitive, reace related issues, and mobilizing an apathetic voter base (we can relate!).

I think my favortite campaign tactic was the lounge that one of the candidates build. The lounge was basically two curtains and lawn chairs set up between lockers in the main hall where the candidate would pour the voter a Perrier and discuss the issues. If you were in high school, what would your candidate have to do to get your vote?

Watch the trailer now!

http://www.frontrunnersthefilm.com/

IN THEATERS OCT 24th

Rebel Wannabes?

2008-10-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ypulse, I read this great article by Rainee Lyson about how young people today don't have their own protest songs, so they get their political inspiration from rockers of the 60's and 70's.

"Rock music of the 1960s, '70s and '80s reflected the social and political rebellion of the time. Fuelled by the Vietnam War and women's and civil rights movements, the teenagers of the '60s were a generation willing to fight for a better world. Generation Y sees no need to rebel. We have been handed over a world reformed. We lead comfortable lives, and not even the threat to our environment can upset our stability"

Read the whole article here and post your thoughts on our blog! What are some of your favorite protest songs?

Listen to some of Declare Yourself's favorite political songs on Zune! http://social.zune.net/member/DeclareYourself

NEW VIDEO TIME!

2008-10-16T11:12:00.001-07:00

How can any of us forget that sad little bill sitting on Capital Hill? I think most of us grew up watching the School House Rock cartoons (Conjunction Junction was my fav) but finally School House Rock has grown up with us! In a parody of the original education cartoons, Declare Yourself now has a two Skool House Rocks videos! These cartoons are a little edgier (and maybe dirtier) than the originals...but hey, you're 18 and over right?

Vote For ____________

2008-10-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

The Gap has a new series of viral videos out, one of which features Declare Yourself founder, Norman Lear! In this campaign, Gap is asking American's what they are voting for. Are you voting for better health care? A college education? lower taxes?

Find more videos like this on AdGabber

We want to know what you are voting for. You can submit a video response to our page on IbeatYou.com or you can post your dream for America on our new Facebook Application. Make your voice heard!

UPCOMING EVENTS

2008-10-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Oct 11

Cast members from ABC Family's GREEK will be at Borders Bookstore in San Francisco to do a meet and greet and register voters! If you have any questions about registering, voting, your polling place, etc, DY representatives will be there!

BORDERS
Stonestown Galleria
233 Winston Drive
San Francisco, CA 94132
Phone: 415.731.0665
12-2pm

Saturday, Oct 11
Walk Across America with Bow Wow! Rap artist Bow Wow will be walking around Washington DC registering voters and talking to young people. Meet at the Bowie State University at 12:30pm!

Monday Oct 13

Walk Across America with Bow Wow! Rap artist Bow Wow will be walking around Baltimore, MD registering voters and talking to young people.

Check http://www.bowwow87.com/ for more details.

Tuesday, Oct 14
Walk Across America with Bow Wow! Rap artist Bow Wow will be walking around Boston registering voters and talking to young people. Meet at the Apple Store on Boylston at 10am!

Apple Store

815 Boylston St

Boston, MA 02116

(617) 385-9400

10:00am

Wednesday, Oct 15

The Only You Can Silence Yourself print campaign will be blown up and displayed at W hotels across the USA! Celebrate with us at The W in Los Angeles this Wednesday.

The W Hotel

930 Hilgard Avenue

Los Angeles, California 90024

Phone: (310) 208-8765

7-9pm

Saturday, Oct 18

Cast members from ABC Family's GREEK will be at Borders Bookstore in Los Angeles to do a meet and greet and register voters! If you have any questions about registering, voting, your polling place, etc, DY representatives will be there! An original print of the Declaration of Independence will also be on display. Bring friends and family and participate in the Big Stakes 5 dominos tournament for prizes!

BORDERS Westwood

1360 Westwood Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90024

310-475-3444

12-2pm

EMAIL DECLAREYOURSELF@GMAIL.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION

One Vote DOES Make a Difference!

2008-10-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

If you’ve ever wondered if your vote really does matter, check out these facts from some extremely close elections.

1800 – ONE VOTE in the electoral college made Thomas Jefferson President over Aaron Burr.

1845 – ONE VOTE brought Texas into the Union.

1847 – ONE VOTE elected Whig candidate George G. Dunn over Democratic candidate David M. Dobson for the U.S. House of Representatives in Indiana.

1948 – 87 VOTES elected Lyndon B. Johnson to the Senate.

1867 – ONE VOTE decided on the purchase of Alaskan territory.

1868 – ONE VOTE prevented President Andrew Johnson from being impeached.

1955 – ONE VOTE elected the mayor of Huron, Ohio.

1916 – ONE VOTE in each California precinct re-elected Woodrow Wilson to the Presidency over Charles E. Hughes.

1960 – ONE VOTE per precinct made John F. Kennedy the President over contender Richard Nixon.

1962 – ONE VOTE per precinct determined the winners for Governor in the states of Maine, Rhode Island, and North Dakota.

1977 – ONE VOTE determined in a recount, decided that Robert Emond won the seat for Vermont State Representative over Sydney Nixon.

1984 – ONE VOTE elected a Monroe County, Florida commissioner.

1999 – ONE VOTE per precinct elected Leslie Byrne to the Virginia Senate.

2000 – 237 VOTES in Florida resulted in the election of George W. Bush to the Presidency.

2002 – 5 VOTES elected Dan Sparks to the Minnesota State Senate.

2004 – 129 VOTES declared Christine Gregoire the Governor of Washington in a third and final hand recount.

Now you REALLY have no excuses! Make your vote count!

Rating the Debate..

2008-10-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

We're not rating how the candidates did, becuase we all have our opinions...but how many people watched it?

McCain and Obama's second debate was watched in 42% of American households. This shows that viewership jumped significantly from their first debate, which received a household rating of 35%. The vice presidential debate received a 45% household rating.

These ratings are taken in the 55 top television markets. Several markets in swing states also saw household ratings boosts over the first presidential debate. Milwaukee had the largest jump, moving up 26 spots in Nielsen's ranking of debate viewing in the top 55 markets. Household viewing in Indianapolis and Dayton, Ohio (+21 spots in Nielsen's ranking), Minneapolis (+17 spots), and Cincinnati (+15 spots) also increased significantly from the first to the second McCain/Obama debate.

For more info, http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/category/politics/.

Guest blogger Kathleen Nacozy

photo: Mark Humphrey, AP

I Beat You!

2008-10-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who has been posting their reasons for voting on IBeatYou.com...they're great! Some are hilarious and others are sincere and moving. If you haven't uploaded your video, do it now! Or vote for the one you like!

Here are some of the videos...click here for more!

'Who is the real Sen. Obama?'

2008-10-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

The McCain-Palin team launched its latest ad, "Folks", which continues the Republican's campaign theme of questioning Sen. Barack Obama's record.

"The ad highlights Barack Obama's defense of his extreme liberal voting record by accusing others of lying," according to JohnMcCain.com.

"Last Call to Register" Events in CA

2008-10-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

The deadline to register to vote in California is fast approaching! Borders customers will have the opportunity to register to vote in the 2008 presidential election in two stores this month at a "Last Call to Register!" event.

SAN FRANCISCO EVENT

Amber Stevens, Jake McDorman and Tiffany Dupont, cast members from the popular ABC Family series “GREEK,” will sign autographs and talk to future voters at Borders in San Francisco on Oct 11th.

Attendees can meet the cast, register to vote, collect information on their polling place, early voting, and the candidates. There will also be tee shirt givaways and free swag!

WHEN:

Saturday, Oct. 11th at noon

WHERE:

Borders
Stonestown Galleria

San Francisco, CA 94132
(415) 731-0665

LOS ANGELES EVENT

Spencer Grammer, Scott Michael Foster, Dilshad Vadsaria, Amber Stevens and Paul James from the popular ABC Family series GREEK will sign autographs and talk to future voters at the event on OCt 18th. After registering to vote, attendees can participate in the “Declare Yourself Dominos Tournament” where the winner will receive a prize package that includes a copy of the book “DECLARE YOURSELF: Speak, Connect, Act, Vote” signed by Lear.

Attendees can also view an original copy of the Declaration of Independence that will be on display at the store. This is the last time this year that the Declaration will be available for public viewing.

WHEN:

Saturday, Oct. 18 at Noon
WHERE:

Borders - Westwood
1360 Westwood Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 475-3444

Interested in hanging with the cast and volunteering? Email declareyourself@gmail.com now!

'That one' just might have taken the cake

2008-10-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

Amid a worsening economic saga, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama took the stage at their second presidential debate, a town-hall-style affair expected to favor the Republican nominee. But in the end, it was all about "that one."

"The world has changed a great deal, and not for the better," moderator Tom Brokaw said at the opening of the debate, at Belmont University in Tennessee. "We still don't know where bottom is at this time."

The candidates, responding to pre-selected questions from a politically-mixed, Gallup Poll-selected audience, hit on the economic crisis and the $700 billion bailout, healthcare reform and the war in Iraq.

Neither came out as a star; perhaps it is as Politico's Roger Simon put it, "McCain loses by not winning."

McCain, with such remarks as, "Not you, Tom," when asked about a replacement for U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, or that now infamous, "You know who voted for it? That one," referring to an energy bill "loaded with goodies for oil companies," came off as more grumpy than anything else.

An Obama supporter seized onto the one-liner, and immediately launched a website selling t-shirts with the phrase and a Facebook page.

T-Shirt from thatone08.com

Independents responded well to Obama's performance at the debate, according to MSNBC, and the Democratic nominee continues to enjoy the lead he had prior to the debate in most polls.

The third and final debate will take place Wednesday, Oct. 15 at Hofstra University in New York.

Watch the debate on YouTube.

Lose Your Voting Virginity with Skool House Rock!

2008-10-06T10:10:00.001-07:00

Everybody remembers the classic 1970's Schoolhouse Rock videos... Check out this updated, mildly inappropriate version brought to you by alums from TV Funhouse and The Daily Show!

Watch as Mr. Voting Machine Lever guides a new voter through the registration process:

So take a lesson from Mr. Voting Machine Lever -- REGISTER TO VOTE! And come Election Day, "grab the shaft and pull!"

Bow Wow Begins His Walk Across America

2008-10-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

More to come on Bow Wow's Walk Across America. In the meantime, enjoy some photos from Atlanta, GA and Orangeburg, SC from last week.

No major blows for either ticket following debate

2008-10-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

No harm, no foul for the candidates at the vice presidential debate in St. Louis on Thursday. In what was one of the 2008 campaign's most heavily anticipated moments, there was relatively little buzz to follow.

Vice-presidential nominees Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin took the stage at Washington University, ready to debate in an event hosted by Gwen Ifill of PBS. Following an erratic interview with Katie Couric, some political pundits expected Palin's performance at the debate to make or break the Republican ticket. Her performance did neither, nor did Biden's of the Democratic ticket.

The two squared off in a 90-minute contest centering around the economy, foreign policy, and U.S. energy policy. They touched on such hot-button issues as the war in Iraq and same-sex marriage, while confirming their allegiance to their selective presidential nominees.

Palin tried to keep the air casual, asking Biden, "Hey, can I call you Joe?", and catering to "Joe Six-Pack American". Though Palin often questioned Biden's record, Biden listed his work in the Senate while comparing that of McCain's to President George W. Bush.

"The issue is, how different is John McCain's policy going to be than George Bush's? I haven't heard anything yet," Biden said in perhaps of his most noteworthy soundbite of the night.

Early rating numbers show that the one and only vice-presidential debate of the 2008 election season drew in far more viewers than that of the first presidential debate, according to the Washington Post.

This was the second time in U.S. history that there has been a female candidate for vice president. The numbers for this year's debate are expexted to rival that of the 57 million viewers of the 1984 vice-presidential debate between George H.W. Bush, the Republican nominee, and Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic nominee. (Click here for YouTube segments of the 1984 V.P. Debate.)

The next presidential debate will be held Tuesday, Oct. 7 at Belmont University in Nashville.

Jessica Alba wants to know why YOU are voting...

2008-10-03T11:51:00.001-07:00

Jessica Alba is asking all of you why you are voting in the election. What issues are important to you? Environment? Iraq War? THE ECONOMY?!?! Submit your video response on I Beat You and Jessica and Hayden will pick their favorite.

THE MUZZLER!! Available now!

2008-10-03T07:50:00.001-07:00

Jessica Alba, in continuation of her work on the Only You Can Silence Yourself, stars in this mock home shopping show in which YOU, the voter, can purchase The Muzzler?

What is the Muzzler, you ask? Well it is a fashionable restraining device in which, when applied correctly, you can prevent your voice from being heard! Watch the video, and listen to the testimonials of Hayden Panettiere and 90210's Tristan Wilde, to find out more!

What are your opinions of the video? Was it memorable? Did you get the point? Will you be voting...or will you be visiting www.TheMuzzler.com?