Declare Yourself, a national young voter empowerment campaign, will visit Ohio State today to energize students to register to vote in the 2004 election.
The Declare Yourself campaign will take place in the Ohio Union Ballroom between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and will include a live spoken word and music show that consists of a new and growing form of entertainment that is part poetry, part music, part theater and part contemporary revival.
The show will feature four of the nation’s top spoken word artists and will focus on messages about voting, democracy and the empowerment of a new generation.
“The whole tour is really about a call to action,” said Gina Loring, one of the poets who will perform on Thursday. “Our goal is simply to get as many students as possible to register to vote.”
Several students said they would stop by because it was a convenient way to register to vote.
“I think it’s a great way to get students excited to vote,” said Kelly Malone, a sophomore in business.”I know a lot of students like myself who haven’t registered to vote yet because this is the first election they can actually vote in.”
The tour also will feature an original copy of the Declaration of Independence, printed on the night of July 4, 1776. Declare Yourself is using it as an inspirational symbol to rally young voters to participate in their future.It is one of only 25 remaining original copies of the Declaration of Independence and the only one traveling the nation.
Among the other special events will be a 14 minute film produced by Norman Lear and Rob Reiner. The film includes a theatrical presentation of the Declaration of Independence by a distinguished group of actors, including Mel Gibson, Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Spacey, Michael Douglas and Renee Zellweger, among others.
Special Guest Appearances also will be made by former Real World cast member, Nathan Blackburn, and former Road Rules member Sophia Pasquis.
Admission to the event is free and will include free gift bags and a chance to enter a special Yahoo Video challenge. Students also will be able to get a digital copy of the Declaration of Independence.
There will be a gathering at Four Kegs Bar and Grille from 6-8 p.m for those students who are unable to attend the afternoon show.
To learn more about the event, log on to www.DeclareYourself.com.
