Smack down your vote  

According to this article, candidates may have another voting block to worry about in 2004:

The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and World Wrestling Entertainment are joining forces under the name "Smack Down Your Vote," and aim to get 2 million more 18-to-30-year-olds to register for next year's presidential election.

The registration of young voters has become increasingly important in presidential elections as their number has dropped by roughly one-third since 18-year-olds got the right to vote in 1972, according to statistics from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

"We want to reverse the process where old people are the only ones who vote," said Russell Simmons, chairman of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.

My hunch is we'll see much better turnout of the 18-30 age group in 2004, and it'll have little to do with this good-hearted effort. Two phenomena: 1) like everyone else, youth are relatively more engaged by politics and world events after two wars, two election debacles, and a jobless recovery; and 2) Howard Dean, God bless him, has done an absolutely stunning job of turning the internet into a tool for grass roots organizing. That said, it won't necessarily help the Dems - check out this ominous report on the machine.