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Voting with Justin, America and Hayden

Mon., Nov. 26, 2007 6:20 AM PST by Marc Malkin

Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com

Norman Lear may be the legendary television creator behind such classics as All in the Family, Maude and The Jeffersons, but television isn't his only passion.

While Lear’s liberal politics are no secret, his voter registration organization Declare Yourself is nonpartisan. The group doesn’t care who you vote for, just as long are you're casting a vote. When Hayden Panettiere turned 18 on Aug. 21, she celebrated by stopping by the Declare Yourself offices to register (above). A few days later, she and other celebs, like Ugly Betty star America Ferrera, hosted the Declare Yourself blowout in Beverly Hills for guests like Mr. Justin Timberlake.

I recently chatted with Lear and Declare Yourself executive director Marc Morgenstern. Read on to hear what he and Morgenstern had to say about Pantierre, Ferrera and…Alice Cooper.

During the 2004 and 2006 elections, Declare Yourself helped register 1.2 million voters. By 2008, there will be another four million eligible to vote. How many voters are you trying to register this time around?
N.L.: Four million! Every single one of them!

How do you do it? How do you keep the momentum going?
N.L.: We’re got a number of initiatives like all the Internet partners. We’ve got content that will be running there and then music when summers comes. Stands are going to be going up in venues all across the country where there are 15,000 to 20,000 kids.

M.M.: They’ll be talked to. There will be phone calls. We keep making out videos as well. We have a series with the Reno 911! guys, and over the next few weeks, we’ll be releasing the next round of those.

How do you make sue there's follow through and people actually vote?
M.M.: In the research we did after 2004, roughly 86-87 percent of people who registered through us went and then voted, which is a very high number. So, the people who go through this registration process are very motivated. And the other thing is that we are going to be using technology to get out the vote next fall…Most importantly, cell phone lists. We hope to use the cell phone reminders or alerts to make sure that everyone not only gets out and votes, but that they know where their polling place is….Even an audio message. We’ll tell people, “Don’t forget to go out and vote!”

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Will Justin Timberlake, Hayden Panettiere and America Ferrera be recording those reminders?
M.M.: Yes! An audio reminder…is much more powerful than just a text message.

N.L.: We’ve also got a number of young groups that are going to do their versions of Alice Cooper’s, “I’m Eighteen.” He gave us he rights to that song.

Who will be doing that?
M.M.: We already had Camp Freddy record it. I can’t you exactly, but I’ll tantalize you a little bit—a number one recording artist who will be turning 18 will be recording it in February.

It seems like there’s a lot more interest in the presidential election this time around.
N.L.: I agree. There’s more attention on it because it’s no secret that the Democrats think they’re in trouble and the Republicans think they’re in trouble. And each side knows the country is in trouble, so there’s a lot more attention and focus.

Why do you think young people in particular are paying more attention?
N.L.: They’re still living at home, and they’re seeing their parents experiencing a crunch. They’re paying attention to what’s going on abroad with the war. I have a 19-year-old, and I don’t know a 19-year-old that isn’t wondering if a draft won’t come sometime.

Let’s go back to the singer who will be covering “I’m Eighteen.” Who’s it going to be? Gimme another hint.
M.M.: I’ll give you a 50 percent better chance to guessing it right—we told his management we would keep it quiet until February.