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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Suzanne Sanders
(972) 378-3229
suzanne.sanders@senate.state.tx.us
October 23, 2000

PLANO - In an effort to combat voter apathy and a lack of awareness among the area's youth, Senator Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) will visit schools in Senate District 8 this week as part of an outreach plan to increase civic education. Senator Shapiro will speak to high school students in Highland Park, McKinney, and Allen about a nationwide Youth Voter program using the Internet as a means to conduct a mock election.

Youth eVote, a national campaign to increase the involvement and awareness of young Americans in the political process, is the first national registration and online voting project in American history. Students in all schools up through high school will have the opportunity to vote for President, United States Senate, Governor and four national issue questions. The results will be completed and reported nationally on Thursday, November 2nd, five days before Election Day, November 7th, 2000.

"The right to vote is one of an American citizen's most fundamental rights, and it is the one that most countries around the world struggle for daily," Shapiro stated. "We must do everything we can to teach our young people the importance of Civics and participation in elections, and we must reinforce that the responsibility to vote is important and fundamental."

A recent MTV survey shows that one quarter of people ages 18 to 24 could not name both presidential candidates and 70% could not identify the vice-presidential candidates. Statics also show that voter turnout among young people today is low, less than 20% of 18-20 year olds voted in the last presidential campaign.

"When you see statistics such as these, you know that we have failed somewhere - there is a lack of civic influence in the lives of our youth. We must recognize that there is a break-down in this generation and take some actions to remedy the situation - before it is too late", Shapiro states. "Activites such as the Youth eVote project are a positive step in the right direction."

The Youth eVote Project has five main goals, to engage young people in the process and make future voters out of them, to use the online media to reach young people and teach them civics, to provide a risk-free test of online voting, to help close the digital divide by using the process, and finally, to stimulate high parent turnout on Election Day.

The Youth eVote Project is part of Senator Shapiro's commitment to encouraging greater civic appreciation and participation among our Youth. For more information on the Youth e-Vote project or to register your school, visit the Youth eVote Project's website at www.YoutheVote.net.