AT&T, Rock the Vote team for text campaign

AT&T and political advocacy non-profit Rock the Vote announced they will partner on a mobile technology-based initiative to engage, educate and register voters between the ages of 18 and 29 in an effort to drive turnout in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Noting that more than one-fifth of eligible voters are below the age of 30, AT&T and Rock the Vote will employ applications including cross-carrier text message opt-in lists for election news and reminders, voter-registration updates and tools to facilitate increased registration. The campaign also promises exclusive celebrity ringtones promoting voter registration, text-polling, reports from student journalists and event sponsorships.

Rock the Vote and AT&T announced the program Wednesday during a mock caucus for 300 Iowa high school students. "The 2008 elections are shaping up to be the third in a row with strong young-voter turnout," said Rock the Vote executive director Heather Smith in a prepared statement. "We know the best way to engage this increasingly active generation is through personal outreach, and wireless phones are intensely personal for young people. For that reason, our mobile partnership with AT&T will be critical to Rock the Vote's efforts to register 2 million young voters in 2008 and get them to the polls on Election Day."

For more on the AT&T/Rock the Vote campaign:
- read this release

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