TRENDS Ss Turning Young Voters On To Off-Year Elections (NAPSA)—Anational coalition of over 90 organizations, the Youth Vote Coalition, is working to increase political participation among youngpeople. This nonpartisan group lists such national organizations on its board as ACORN, League of Women Voters, The Leadership Institute, Youth Service America and National Council of La Raza. Youth Vote Coalition, has worked with 1,500 community and state member organizations to increase voter turnout rates and community engagement among 18 to 29 yearolds. One of its primary goals in 2002 is to take the grassroots efforts to scale and to reach one million young voters. Historically, youngcitizens vote at lower rates than older citizens in what are knownasoff-year elections, when there is no presidential race. The 2002 campaign will be working in 12 sites: Little Rock and Pine Bluff, Arkansas; Oakland, California; Denver, Colorado; Miami, Florida; Des Moines and Ames, Iowa; Ann Arbor, Michigan; St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota; Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri; Durham/Raleigh/ Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Port- land, Oregon and Houston, Texas. Local Youth Vote Coalitions will conduct voter registration efforts, conduct forums in each location where candidates can meet young voters and conduct grassroots door-to-door and phone canvassing to encourage every youngperson in their site to vote. To learn more, visit their Web site at www.youthvote.org.
