Technology, Media Alliance Backs Youth Vote Initiative

LOS ANGELES
Yahoo!, Clear Channel Communications and Friendster have announced initiatives to be undertaken on behalf of Declare Yourself, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign to educate and energize a new movement of young adults to vote in the 2004 election. Officials say the programs will harness the power of technology and media to drive public awareness online and through a variety of unique events and entertainment initiatives.
Founded by television producer Norman Lear, Declare Yourself was initially launched last November at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., with actor Drew Barrymore and hundreds of college students. Declare Yourself creatively fuses technology, entertainment and education to challenge Americans between the ages of 18 and 29, especially first-time voters, to find their reason to register and to vote, and includes a comprehensive voter registration and election information Web site, <www.DeclareYourself.com>.
"This is going to be a new kind of election, and we've got to use new ways to reach millions of young people where they live, work and play," Lear says.
One major sponsor is AXA Financial, Inc., and partnering organizations include Vibe.com, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and Newspapers in Education (NIE).
"Our strategic alliances with AXA Financial, Yahoo!, Clear Channel and Friendster, along with the power of spoken word and an original copy of the Declaration of Independence, will ensure that our nonpartisan message is heard loud and clear," Lear adds.
Yahoo! is the major online partner for Declare Yourself. The Web search engine and services organizations is creating and implementing a series of online and offline initiatives throughout 2004. Yahoo! is expected to play a vital role in the Declare Yourself program by reaching more than 260 million unique users to drive young voter registration.