ROCK THE VOTE AND COMCAST ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP TO ENCOURAGE YOUNG AMERICANS TO REGISTER TO VOTE
Rock the Vote and Comcast Corporation, the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, announced today at the Tri-Caucus Youth Summit in Washington, D.C., that they have entered into a multimedia partnership to encourage young Americans, ages 18-29, to register to vote. The Summit was hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc (CBCF) and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS).
The partnership between Rock the Vote (RTV) and Comcast will include a series of co-branded Public Service Announcements and Internet outreach on Comcast’s family of networks, including E! Networks, VERSUS, The Golf Channel, TV One, FearNet, Comcast Sportsnet networks, PBS Kids Sprout, CN8 and G4. Comcast and RTV will be registering young Americans online through these networks’ websites as well as at Comcast.net, OurTimetoVote.com, the Comcast voter outreach resource, and Comcast Latino, the Spanish language website at Terra.com. All websites will be using RTV’s innovative, easy-to-use online voter registration tool.
“This partnership provides many resources for our youth to register to vote and become part of the electoral process,” said U.S. Congressman Joe Baca, Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. “We commend this effort and encourage this type of private/public partnership benefiting the youth of our country.”
“Combining the power of Comcast and Rock the Vote will further communicate to youth the importance of voting and making their voices heard,” said Susan Gonzales, Senior Director, Federal and External Affairs at Comcast. “We are very excited about this partnership that increases our support of the electoral process and encourages more people to register to vote.”
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“Rock the Vote is proud to have Comcast support our efforts to register 2 million young Americans,” said Heather Smith, Executive Director, Rock the Vote. “The country is finally noticing what Rock the Vote has known for years, there is a young voter movement building that is changing the political landscape of our country. With Comcast’s help, we are confident that we will see young voter turnout increase for the third election in a row.”
In addition, during RTV’s week-long events at the Democratic and Republican Conventions, E! Networks will provide behind-the-scenes coverage of the star-studded Ballot Bash, and E! anchors will also give mentions of the websites leading up to the election.
“APAICS is very excited to be a part of the Tri-Caucus Youth Summit 2008: The Power to Act Now! The future of America lies in their hands,” said APAICS President and CEO William H. (Mo) Marumoto. “We applaud Comcast and Rock the Vote for taking the initiative to ensure that all young voters have the opportunity to take part in the upcoming election and make their voices heard.”
The joint effort between Comcast and Rock the Vote is another example of Comcast’s overall support for the electoral process. Late last year, Comcast and members of the cable industry launched the “Our Time to Vote” voter education and registration campaign to further increase awareness and encourage voter registration among multicultural communities. Additionally, this announcement comes on the heels of Comcast being named the official cable television and video on demand provider for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, which will be simulcast in Spanish online for the first time at DemConvention.com.
About Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote’s mission 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; giving 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. Rock the Vote is creative, effective, and controlled by nobody’s agenda but our own – we tell it like it is and pride ourselves on being a trusted source for information on politics. www.rockthevote.org.
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About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com) is the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services. With 24.7 million cable customers, 14.1 million high-speed Internet customers, and 5.2 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.
Comcast’s content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten Comcast SportsNet networks and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast’s Internet business. Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.
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