Telegraph Staff Report
World wrestling superstars have entered a new arena.
Joining with the League of Women Voters and other partners including the major political parties, big names from World Wrestling Entertainment want to encourage young people ages 18 to 30 to "Smackdown Your Vote."
WWE attention-getters Kurt Angle, Bradshaw, Charlie Hass, Shelton Benjamin, Lita, Molly Holly, Chris Nowinski and Shaniqua all appear in a brochure aimed at getting younger voters to make their voices heard at the polls.
The brochure explains what its partners perceive as a "cycle of neglect" surrounding younger voters in American politics.
"Candidates don't seriously address issues important to 18-to-30-year-olds because they don't believe they will vote. Young adults don't vote because they think the candidates don't care about their concerns," says the brochure, titled "The 18-30 VIP, Questions Every Candidate Should Answer to Win 20 Million Votes in 2004."
The brochure claims its conclusions about young voters come from top national polling agencies including Harris Interactive, Harvard Institute of Politics, MTV and the Pew Research Center.
"Based on these polls, we find that 18-to-30-year-olds are most concerned with the economy and jobs, national security and the War in Iraq, their education and the motivation of national leaders," the brochure says.
Through their concerted efforts, the groups participating in the Smackdown campaign promise to bring at least 20 million young, eligible voters to the polls.
That many new voters would mean "an increase of 10 percent from the 2000 elections," according to the brochure. "But we won't tell them how to vote. It's up to the candidates to win them over."
In a message to young voters, the brochure reminds them that they are "Very Important Players" in American politics, "but only if you get in the game."
A similar message to political parties and candidates urges using the brochure as "a guide to talk with 18-to-30-year-olds about the issues that matter to them."
The economy, followed closely by access to affordable health care, ranks as the number-one issue among younger voters in America in the brochure's polls.
Iraq, national security and safety from terrorism also top the list of what the brochure says are the main issues on the minds of young voters.
Downloadable copies of the brochure, video of wrestling personalities offering encouragement to young people to vote and links to other voter information sites can be accessed on the Internet at www.smackdownyourvote.com.
One link offers teachers access to the University of Virginia Center for Politics Youth Leadership Initiative. The center "strives to assist primary and secondary teachers in creating an engaged classroom environment, where students experience first-hand the responsibilities of living in a representative democracy," according to the Web site.
Return to In the Press...