http://www.azstarnet.com/public/dnews/112-7862.html
Saturday, 11 September 1999
PHOENIX (AP) - Secretary of State Betsey Bayless is sending birthday greetings
and electoral pleadings to every Arizonan about to turn 18.
Bayless is sending thousands of birthday cards to Arizona teens who will turn 18
before the next election. The cards carry a voter registration form and a message
encouraging young people to register and vote in the upcoming presidential primary
Feb. 22
.
``We want to reach out to youth,'' Bayless said. ``Your vote is your voice. If you
feel disenfranchised, if you don't feel listened to, this is how you can speak out.''
The first cards are already in the mail. About 31,500 will be sent by the end of
the month at a cost of $3,700 plus postage.
Additional cards will be mailed each month as more teens approach their birthdays.
The Secretary of State's Office uses Motor Vehicle Division records to determine
the teens' ages and addresses.
This is the second time the Secretary of State's Office has sent the cards. The program
was started before the 1998 statewide election.
No statistics are available regarding how many teens registered to vote as a result
of the cards, but election officials did notice a surge, state Election Director
Jessica Funkhouser said.
Parents noticed, too.
``A lot of adults said, `I saw this in the mail and I'm going to vote this time,'
'' Funkhouser said.
The cards were designed with help from Rock the Vote, a national organization designed
to encourage young people to vote. The cover shows 13 Phoenix-area kids and the message,
``I vote.''
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 10.8 million people 18 to 20 were eligible to
vote in 1996. Of those, only 45.6 percent reported that they registered to vote and
only 31.2 percent said they cast ballots.
Those statistics won't change overnight because of a birthday card, but Bayless said
the message that young people matter will help.
``If we can get them to think that way, maybe we can turn this around,'' she said.