Will young voters step up to the polls?

A nonpartisan coalition is determined to sign up 265,000 new voters from a pool of 2 million 18- to 24-year-olds in six states before the end of the current election cycle. The targeted states are Colorado, Iowa, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Wisconsin. All but Colorado are viewed as battleground states, places with close contests where an extra effort by one party or another can make a major difference.

In December, the state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) and the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management announced the effort, called the New Voters Project (www.newvotersproject.org). It will set up a field operation that will apply ãthe leading research in grassroots mobilization with the best practices of the campaign world,ä says Christopher Arterton, dean of the GWU political management school. GWUâs involvement is academic, to prove that ãany modern political campaign can, with the right techniques and approach, win elections by bringing new young voters to the table.ä

The operation will use peer-to-peer voter registration, phone banks, door-to-door canvassing and precinct-based mobilization. ãIf you ask them, they will vote,ä says Ivan Frishberg, spokesperson for the New Voters Project. The initiative expects to boost turnout in the six states from the 40 percent level of 2000 to 45 percent in 2004.

The primary funder is the Pew Charitable Trusts, which has pledged $4 million, half for registration and half for get-out-the-vote efforts. Another $5 million is expected to come in from multiple sources.

A third of the potential voters can be found on college campuses. The project is working with state PIRGs and other partners, such as the Campus Compact, to hit that group. The other two-thirds will be targeted by project partners such as MTV, Rock the Vote and Youth Vote. In total, the coalition involves hundreds of groups that already have established lists and resources to throw into the effort.

Porter  scholarships available

Applications are being accepted for the AFTâs Robert G. Porter Scholars Program. The program offers four $8,000 scholarships for high school seniors graduating in 2004 who are dependents of AFT members and who intend to pursue a career in labor, education, healthcare or government.

Also offered are 10 one-time grants of $l,000 for AFT members to pursue further study in their field of work.

The Porter Scholars Program was established through a resolution passed by the AFT executive council in 1992 to honor the late Robert G. Porter, who served as AFT secretary-treasurer from 1963 through 1991. There could be no finer way ãto recognize the contributions and memory of Robert G. Porter, in perpetuity,ä than to foster the education of AFT members and their families, reasoned the drafters of the resolution.

A mix of national AFT contributions and voluntary contributions from AFT affiliates, members and friends make the scholars program possible.

Members may download the application from the AFT Web site at www.aft.org/aftplus/scholarships/index.htm or send an e-mail to porterscholars@aft.org. Members who do not have access to the Internet may mail a postcard or letter (no phone calls, please) to the Robert G. Porter Scholars Program, 555 New Jersey Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20001. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2004, to be considered.