May 27, 2004
Wanted: Young Voters' Cellphone Numbers
Voter registration campaigns are turning to a new weapon to combat low turnout among younger voters this November: the cellphone, according to the NY Times.
"Nonprofit groups have begun collecting the cell numbers of college-age voters as part of wider registration efforts. Their aim is to contact young people through wireless calls and text messaging to improve upon the turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds, which the Census Bureau reported was 32 percent in 2000".
[...] One organization, the New Voters Project, plans to offer the numbers it is now gathering to political marketers to increase access to younger voters, raising privacy issued.
[...] Rock the Vote is pushing its own wireless initiative: Rock the Vote Mobile (www.rtvmo), a service sponsored by Motorola that offers text-message polls and voter alerts.
Related articles:
-- Actress Rachel Bilson Encourages Young Voters to Dial Into Rock the Vote Mobile
-- Cell Phones to Democracy's Rescue
-- USA : ĞRock the Mobile Voteğ
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