AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University's Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, along with the national president of the League of Women Voters Kay Maxwell and Iowa Secretary of State Chet Culver, will host the Iowa launch of a pre-election day voter education and public awareness campaign at a 1:30 p.m. press conference Wednesday, Sept. 8, in Room 302, Catt Hall.
The public is invited.
Maxwell will discuss the League of Women Voters' national campaign to provide voters with information to protect their votes and lower perceived barriers to voting. This includes the distribution of more than 500,000 "5 Things You Need to Know on Election Day" voter cards designed to familiarize voters with new election procedures to ensure their votes are counted, Maxwell said.
Maxwell will start her tour Sept. 7 in Iowa. She also will travel to Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Florida and Missouri for meetings with community leaders and the media.
Culver will talk about his office's plans to educate and encourage Iowans to vote in the 2004 election.
Catt Center director Dianne Bystrom will outline activities to educate and engage young voters taking place on the Iowa State campus this fall. The center was established in 1992 to honor Carrie Chapman Catt, a distinguished alumna of Iowa State, leader of the woman suffrage movement and founder of the League of Women Voters.
"In any election year, the Catt Center works closely with national, state and local organizations to educate citizens, especially young voters, about the importance of taking part in the political process," Bystrom said. "Catt Center staff and students are working on voter registration campaigns with several organizations. The center will be hosting watch parties for the presidential and vice presidential debates and is working with groups to bring political speakers to campus this fall."
For more information on voting issues, including provisional balloting, safeguarding the vote and the "Top 5 Risks to Eligible Voters in 2004," visit these Web links:
http://www.lwv.org/elibrary/pub/voting_help-vote.pdf
http://www.lwv.org/elibrary/pub/voting_safeguarding_bw.pdf
http://www.lwv.org/join/elections/TopFiveRisks.pdf
For more information on the event, call the Catt Center at (515) 294-3181.