NATIONAL YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS INVITE CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS TO DISCUSS POTENTIAL VOTING BARRIERS IN 2012 ELECTION

Democratic Minority Whip Steny Hoyer Agrees to Attend Meeting on Behalf of Party; Republican Leadership Declines to Meet Thus Far…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 26th, 2012

CONTACT: Johanna Berkson

Johanna@ourtime.org or 202-347-7484 (o)

Washington, D.C.—  A coalition of national, non-partisan youth empowerment organizations—including OURTIME.org, Rock the Vote, Spark Action, Campus Progress, Hillel, Politic365, and others—have invited Democratic and Republican Congressional Leaders to discuss anticipated voting challenges that young Americans could potentially face when voting in November’s election. Democratic Congressman and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer has agreed to attend the meeting on behalf of his party before the August recess, and organizational representatives are still waiting on the responses of Republican leaders invited to attend. So far, Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor have declined to participate.

The organizations will present Congress with stories and reports regarding voter suppression and misinformation.  Such topics include misleading robo-calls in Wisconsin during the recall election of Governor Scott Walker; domicile concerns with regards to students living in dorms that are not considered proper “residences;” potential long lines at polls; voter caging; and photo ID restrictions among numerous other concerns.

“Many pundits have suggested that the 2012 election will be decided once again by the youth vote,” said Matthew Segal, president and co-founder of OURTIME.org, “but with new and restrictive voting laws recently passed by dozens of states legislatures, there is significant apprehension about voter disenfranchisement. We are counting on both parties to facilitate a culture of broader youth civic participation, but it’s discouraging that so many Congressional leaders have declined to join our meeting.” 

The non-profit groups will convene on Capitol Hill next Wednesday, August 1st. 

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OURTIME.org is a national organization founded and run by young Americans, leveraging pop culture, business partnerships, and online organizing to promote voter and economic empowerment. To follow OURTIME.org on Facebook go to: http://www.facebook.com/OurTimeOrg. Or to follow OURTIME.org on Twitter, go to:  www.Twitter.com/OurTimeOrg.

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http://www.newsday.com/news/world/despite-unemployment-rate-improvement-u-s-poverty-on-track-to-highest-since-1960s-1.3853231