Voter Registration Available Through Cell Phones

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 27, 2006

For more information, contact:

Taylor Brannon, (214) 284-2545

taylorbrannon@mobilevoting.org

www.mobilevoting.org


Voter Registration Available Through Cell Phones

Citizens can now register to vote via cellular phones

DALLAS, TX – Eighty percent of Americans own a cellular phone of those 63 percent send text messages regularly. Seeing this trend in cellular phone usage, Mobile Voter, a non-profit, non-partisan organization (501c3) and the National Youth Political Action Coalition (NYPAC) decided to use technology to positive effect one of America’s oldest rights—voting. Mobile Voter and NYPAC along with the support of Pew Charitable Trusts and Young Voter Strategies announce the "TxtVoter Campaign", which makes voter registration possible via cellular phones.

Through this process prospective voters can register to vote without a computer or printer. Americans can text the keyword "2vote" to 75444 from their cellular phone or those around the world can text "voter" to 75444. From there, pertinent information is collected via a short text message conversation. Then, a voter registration card is mailed. Once received, the voters signs it, dates it and mails it, and voter registration is complete. Also, voters can fill out a registration form online, print it and mail it.

Taylor Brannon, Executive Director of NYPAC, said voter registration via cell phones is unprecedented and will change politics in America.

"I am excited about the future of American politics," said Brannon. "I am overwhelmed at that fact that we’ve come this far and I am looking forward to the future. This is the first step. I look forward to one day actually being able to vote for president, senators and representatives through cell phones. .

Brannon said that once voters have been registered they will receive updates on election dates, information of issues and voting precincts.

"We thought it was essential to follow-up with a reminder or where you can go vote. Not only does it empower people with the ability to register themselves to vote but we are empowering them with the knowledge of where they can vote and what they are voting on.

Brannon who is excited about the implication of voter registration said that it will change American indefinitely.

"Someday is today. Someday is right now," said Brannon. "I welcome everyone into the future of American politics—how we vote, how we implement change through our votes. Things are never going to be the same again.

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