Registering in Cleveland: Part II

DSC_0025_2, originally uploaded by Rock the Vote 2008.

Friday, October 3rd, 2008

Young voters registered yesterday – 41,763
Miles travelled today – 8

11:33 am — We are in Cleveland today. This is my second ever visit to Cleveland. The first being last week. I have thus gathered the following facts about the city: 1) there is a Hard Rock Cafe that is willing to play the debates for exhausted and cranky Rock the Vote staffers 2) The Rock and Roll hall of fame is here somewhere, and 3) in parts of the city there are schools with metal detectors in the doorways and police in the halls.

I have only a single picture of the imposing exterior of John Marshall High School. The school was clearly designed to fend off viking raiders and it rises from its basic suburban surroundings like a citadel from the plains. But for the heavy police presence and metal detectors at every entrance, the school was a straightforward stop packed with the students who were eager to have us. I did not get a chance to explore, but I assume the school had arrow slits on the upper floors and vats of boiling tar on the roof.

4:12 pm — Let us be clear, lest some further misunderstanding occur: you can register and learn where to vote at www.rockthevote.com. The information you find there will be accurate, up-to-date, and any forms printed will work. I mention this because we encountered a very insistent woman in downtown Columbus who was there, in principle, to register voters. In practice, her enthusiasm outshone her knowledge.

“Rock the Vote is using the wrong forms!” she hollered for anyone listening. “They’re xerox copies! Don’t register with them!”

For the record: a xerox copy of the correct form is also the correct form. Also for the record: we were not using xeroxed forms.

“Honestly, we are doing the same thing you are,” Mary, our production manager, assured her. But to no avail. She screamed threats and slander until we finally persuaded her to wander off to some other part of the city, where she is no doubt ranting still.

Tonight we are to hover outside a New Kids On The Block concert advertising the upcoming deadline and encouraging the people here on to the polls.

–Nick Brown

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Rock the Vote Bio: Rock the Vote was founded in 1990 to organize artists and fight against censorship of musicians. Since then we've evolved to focus on empowering young people to get involved in the political process. We use pop culture, peer-to-peer organizing, and the latest technology to raise visibility of politics and demystify the process of registering to vote. @rockthevote Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

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