August 25, 2004

Rockin' registration

Rock the Vote concert pulls in 'engaged' audience of young voters

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

       Screaming guitars merged with mellow advice Sunday evening during a Rock the Vote concert at Union Street Station in Traverse City.
      The event targeted the elusive 18-24 age group, motivated by National Center for Educational Statistics showing that only 50.7 percent of this group were registered to vote in the 2000 election and only 36.1 percent actually voted.
      Ann Stanton and Tim Hall brought a Rock the Vote chapter to the region this year hoping to do their part to boost these figures. While older than the targeted age range of Rock the Vote's typical audience and already politically active, they wanted to engage young people in politics.
      "I just think a lot of young people don't realize the importance of this election," Hall noted.
      Featuring three area bands - Teen Wolfowitz, Tanooki Suit and Fourth House In - Sunday's Rock the Vote concert drew 75 attendees, who received free admission for either being registered or registering on the spot.
      Elizabeth Bohnhorst, 18, of Traverse City, tried to register and is determined to vote in the upcoming general election. She hit a snag due to a recent move and Stanton advised her that the Secretary of State's office would allow her to change her address and register to vote in one fell swoop.
      "I am motivated [to vote] because I want to make a change in America," Bohnhorst said. "I think that people our age are pretty engaged but not very motivated."
      Members of the band Fourth House In volunteered their time for the event because they believe in mixing music, young people and voter registration.
      "When they see a concert and music, they're drawn to it," said Kyle Sullivan, lead guitar player for the band. "And having it easy to register to vote, it is something they can do. I think a lot of people think because they are young, it doesn't make a lot of difference if they vote or not."
      Rock the Vote began in 1990 as a non-partisan outreach program founded by MTV to promote civic participation among young people.
      Working to reach their target audience, the local chapter of Rock the Vote has hosted a table at every Friday Night Live this summer. They also held an event last weekend at The Loading Dock that drew 150 attendees and registered 20 new voters.
      Stanton and Hall have an ambitious goal of registering 1,000 new young voters before the 30-day deadline prior to the election. They have more than 100 signed up already and are seeking other events to attend with lots of potential young voters. So far, Friday Night Live seems to be the most successful place.
      "Last week's Friday Night Live was the best yet, we registered 35 people," Stanton said.
      Sometimes their numbers get a boost by older people who have either never registered or have not done so in years.
      "We registered one guy at Friday Night Live who hadn't voted since Jimmy Carter," Stanton noted.
      Part of Rock the Vote's contribution at their events is guiding potential voters through the registration process. Young people may live part of the year at college and part with a parent or guardian, or they may move around often, confusing them about where to register or how to obtain absentee ballots.
      "If this is their first time voting, they either have to register in person or vote in person," Stanton said. "We offer college kids absentee ballots."
      Lauren Smith, a junior at Central High School, is not yet 18 but feels engaged in the political process anyway. She attended the concert to hear some great music and hang out with her friends, despite being too young to vote in the upcoming election.
      "I think that with this election, young people are pretty engaged," she said.