WASHINGTON, DC – Today the
Sierra Club, America’s oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots
environmental organization, and Voting for America, an affiliate of the
voting rights nonprofit Project Vote, announced a new nonpartisan
initiative to help over 50,000 students of community and four-year
colleges in seven states register to vote for the 2010 election.
This summer and fall, Sierra
Club staff and volunteers will conduct nonpartisan voter registration
and mobilization drives on college campuses in Colorado, Minnesota,
Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas in order to gather over
50,000 voter registration applications from younger Americans.
“We know that Sierra Club’s
core environmental and energy issues motivate young people,” said Cathy
Duvall, Sierra Club Political and Public Advocacy Director. “We’re eager
to work with Voting for America and build on our track record of
successful youth organizing to turn out young voters on Election Day.”
Partnering with the Sierra
Club on the initiative is Voting for America, a new affiliate of Project
Vote that draws on its extensive expertise. “Project Vote has over 15
years experience in conducting large-scale voter registration drives,”
says Michael Slater, executive director of the organization. “In 2010
we’ve created Voting for America as a means of making the systems,
strategies, and tools we’ve developed available to other organizations.”
The services that Voting for
America will contribute include the development of voter registration
and quality control protocols; assistance with recruitment, training,
and supervision of canvassers; training and materials; and legal
services. Additionally, Project Vote’s research department will conduct
an analysis and evaluation following completion of the drive, including
an assessment of registrant demographics and a determination of how many
successful applications-and ballots cast-resulted from the effort.
“When the Sierra Club
approached us to assist with this drive, we didn’t hesitate,” says
Slater. “Even after 2008, we estimate over 60 million eligible Americans
are still not registered to vote, and young people in particular are
underrepresented. We’re thrilled to be working with the Sierra Club to
help empower these Americans, and we hope more organizations decide to
take up this important work.”
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For
more information on partnering with Voting for America, please contact Michael
Slater, Executive Director, at 202.425-5493 or
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.