Baylor Increases Awareness about 2008 Election through National "Rock the Vote" Campaign

by Lauren Venegas, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
The Rock the Vote Concert scheduled for Friday night has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 7:30pm in the SUB Bowl.
The Baylor University department of student activities will host a national "Rock the Vote" campaign, encouraging students to register to vote and advocating the rights of young people Sept. 8-12, with a finale concert Friday in the SUB Bowl on Baylor's campus.
The 2008 goals for the Baylor "Rock the Vote" campaign are to register and turn out Baylor student voters, to educate Baylor students on the power of young people and give the university community the tools to take action, and to advocate for the rights of young people in the voting process and for the issues that affect their lives.
"Through the various aspects of the 'Rock the Vote' program, Student Activities is working to help students think through the issues that are most important to them in order to make informed decisions when they vote," said Karin Klinger, associate director of student activities. "An individual who is well informed and has a thorough understanding of the issues related to a given election are far more likely to take the step of casting a ballot."

The "Rock the Vote" schedule includes "What's In a Word?" located in the SUB Den for the remainder of the week, where students can come by and express creatively what various political "buzz" words mean to that person. "Rock the Wall," located in the main lobby of the SUB, allows students to give answers to a variety of questions about this year's presidential campaigns. "Stop, Take Some Time to Think" will be located in Fountain Mall from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

Student Activities, in partnership with the Baylor Activities Council, will conclude the Baylor "Rock the Vote" campaign with a concert featuring the live music of Sleeperstar, Shapes Stars Make and Trey Duck from 6:30-11 p.m. Friday in the SUB Bowl.

The deadline for Voter Registration in the state of Texas is Oct. 6. Voter registration cards are available throughout the week at all Rock the Vote activities, Acoustic Café on Sept. 18 and Battle of the Bands on Oct. 3. Cards will be available at the Campus Program Center in the SUB Den, the Department of Student Activities and in the Office of Public Affairs in Pat Neff Hall. For information about voter registration deadlines outside of the state of Texas, access the "Rock the Vote - Voter Survival Guide" at www.baylor.edu/student_activities/campus_programs/index.php?id=57051.

"Responsible voters should explore the issues and platforms on which the candidates are running and which are most important to them; the 'Rock the Vote' program is designed to help facilitate that exploration," Klinger said. "This is an exciting time in our nation's history and we should count ourselves lucky to be able to be active participants through responsible voting."

For more information, contact Karin Klinger or visit www.baylor.edu/student_activities.

About the National "Rock the Vote" Campaign
The mission of "Rock the Vote" is to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country.
"Rock the Vote" uses music, popular culture and new technologies to engage and incite young people to register and vote in every election. And we give young people the tools to identify, learn about, and take action on the issues that affect their lives, and leverage their power in the political process.