New NAACP Leader Kicks-Off Tenure Registering Every Last Voter
Upload 2 Uplift: Web 2.0 the latest tool in NAACP Voter Empowerment
BALTIMORE, MD ––While most kids were home playing Nintendo, 14-year old Benjamin Todd Jealous and his friends were out
commanding card tables and conducting voter registration drives. After registering thousands of new voters, Jealous
realized the power of community organizing. Now, twenty–one years later, he is combining his organizing skills -- honed
as a youth by the NAACP -- with emerging technologies to transform the organization that he now leads. As the youngest
President in the NAACP’s nearly 100-year history, and a fifth-generation NAACP member, Jealous starts his tenure doing
what he does best. Getting people involved. “As an organization, our goal is to make the promise of this country real
for all families,” said Jealous, “and this starts with making all Americans regular voters.
While unprecedented numbers of African Americans and young people are expected to register in this year’s election,
Jealous’ aspirations are higher. “The NAACP has had a history of transforming this country and in that tradition, we
will transform the electoral process. We can do it by registering every last voter, verifying every last voter,
mobilizing every last voter, protecting every last voter and ensuring that every last vote is counted,” said Jealous.
This week, Jealous started his first day on the job rolling out a new online voter registration initiative, Upload to
Uplift. This initiative uses Web 2.0 technology to encourage visitors to register and upload the email addresses of
family and friends that are not registered. Upload to Uplift also uses a text message feature to remind registered
voters to go to the polls on Election Day. “Online voter registration is a natural extension of the NAACP voter
empowerment programs,” said Jealous. “While we will continue to do employ successful strategies, like door-to-door
canvassing and phone banking, however, this tool adds the power of viral voter registration to our mix.” he added.
Many of the 1200 active NAACP units have tested the site anticipating its ability to expand their existing voter
registration efforts. “Our branches and our Youth and College units, are excited about using this emerging technology to
reach a new and very active core of activists – both online and offline, said Nelson B. Rivers III, Chief of NAACP Field
Operations.
The NAACP is calling on all corporate, community partners, bloggers and individuals with web sites to download the
widget onto their Web sites. “By making the tool available to partners to place on their sites, the NAACP aims to reach
the millions of remaining unregistered African Americans and youth voters and to encourage greater turnout at the
polls,” said Kirk Clay, Sr., NAACP Director of Civic Engagement.
According to the United States Census Bureau, only sixty-nine percent of African Americans are registered compared to
seventy-five percent of non-Hispanic whites. In 2004, four-fifths of all registration happened in the last three months
of registration and two-thirds of people who downloaded the online registration forms actually mail them in. “We’re
encouraging all our community partners and anyone interested in uplifting the voices of the underrepresented to utilize
these resources,” said Clay.
ENDS
Individuals interested in registering can visit www.naacp.org to complete, print and mail the registration form before
the October 4th deadline. Corporate and community partners interested in offering the online registration widget to
their site can download it from www.naacp.org For more information, contact Carla Sims, carlasims[at]Verizon.net, ph:
(202) 547-8313.
Upload to Uplift
Upload to Uplift is the NAACP Online Registration Initiative that uses Web 2.0 technology to encourage visitors to
register themselves and upload the email addresses of family and friends that have not registered. Individuals can visit
www.naacp.org to complete, print and mail the registration form before the October 4th deadline. Corporate, community
partners and bloggers are encouraged to download the widget and place it on their site.
NAACP
The NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Founded in 1909, its mission is to ensure the
political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial
discrimination.