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THOUSANDS OF YOUTH MOBILIZE ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR NATIONAL YOUTH AND STUDENT VOTER REGISTRATION DAY ON SEPTEMBER 29 THOUSANDS OF YOUTH MOBILIZE ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR NATIONAL YOUTH AND STUDENT VOTER REGISTRATION DAY ON SEPTEMBER 29
New York, NY On Wednesday, September 29, youth and students across America will converge on campuses, schools, and their neighborhoods to register voters as part of National Youth and Student Voter Registration Day. These young people will be bucking the trend of youthful voter apathy* by taking responsibility for their communities and our nation's future by spending the day registering new voters. The Children's Defense Fund, which is heading up its own non-partisan voter registration campaign called "Children Can't Vote. You Can." is a co-sponsor of the event. Concerned about the state of children in America—everyday in America more than 2,000 babies are born into poverty, nearly 2,500 children are confirmed as abused or neglected, and more than 1,700 children are born without health insurance—students from more than 50 college campuses in 19 states along with young people from churches, homeless shelters, after-school programs, and civil rights organizations are stepping forward and taking responsibility for representing the interests of children. These young people just may change the course of history! The national non-partisan voter registration day, which does not represent an endorsement of any candidate or political party, is co-sponsored by more than 17 national organizations, including the American Federation of Teachers, Americans for Democratic Action, Center for Community Change, Center for Immigrant Democracy, Children's Defense Fund, Coalition on Human Needs, Hispanic Federation, League of United Latin American Citizens, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Coalition for the Homeless, National Congress of American Indians, National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Network for Youth, National Student Partnership, ?O?ste?, Unitarian Universalists Association, Youth Build USA, and The White House Project. In addition, partners joining the project are La Noticia, Voices for Working Families, and the Leadership Conference for Civil Rights. For more information about youth and student voter registration activities on National Youth and Voter Registration Day in your community, please contact Carolyn Kresky at 212-697-2323 x 103 or mailto:ckresky@cdny.org, or contact Erin Davis at 212-697-2323 x 107 or edavis@cdfny.org. *While there are more eligible voters under the age of 25 than ever before—23.9 million—voter turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds continues to decline, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. # # # The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind? and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick, into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. We have never taken government funds. |
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