Apolitical niche organizations are reaching out to energize their bases.(Updated @ 4:30pm)
You may remember the ill-fated “Vote or Die” campaign made famous four years ago by P. Diddy, 50 Cent, Mya and other MTV rock stars. It was part of Citizen Change, an organization that sought to empower those in the 18-30 age range to vote in the 2004 presidential election. The non-partisan organization says on its website that it wanted to make voting “hot, sexy and relevant to a generation that hasn't reached full participation in the political process.”
Now rising to take Vote or Die’s place on the pedestal of “
Smackdown is a project by World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., and is making a run at those elusive under-30 voters that did their duty to avoid dying four years ago. It’s not at all clear as to why the WWE started its wrestling-themed voter outreach during the 2000 election cycle, but with 5 million viewers tuning into Monday Night Raw each week, wrestling fans could throw the election to the mat.
Wrestlers aren’t the only niche group being reached out to. The Poker Players Alliance, which tracks legislation related to gambling and works to support their belief that "poker is not a crime," is forming PokerPAC, a political action committee backed by more than 1 million members. Their website encourages voter registration, saying that those who don't vote "simply aren't part of the equation of political power."
On a completely different note, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance is encouraging citizens to “vote for the cure” and make sure the next president sees a petition outlining steps needed to help cure breast cancer.
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