"Declare Yourself's research shows that young Americans are hungering to participate more in our democratic process, and the Internet empowers them to do that in a meaningful way through information, connectivity and the tools to become more active citizens," said Norman Lear, founder of Declare Yourself.
According to Nielsen/NetRatings @Plan Fall 2006 Release, adult MySpace users are more than twice as likely as the average adult on the Internet to interact online with a public official or candidate, 59 percent more likely to view online video relating to politics or public affairs, 45 percent more likely to research politics and campaign information online, and 60 percent more likely to listen to online audio/radio related to politics/public affairs.
According to comScore Media Metrix, over 80 percent of the MySpace community is 18-years of age or older. "MySpace's reach offers us an extraordinary opportunity to give millions of Americans, especially first-time voters, easy access to the political process," said Chris DeWolfe, chief executive officer of MySpace.
To support the effort, MySpace will launch a promotional campaign running through October. MySpace users will be able to download an electronic badge to their profile page to show they registered to vote online. Users can also forward a link to their friends to encourage them to register to vote. MySpace will post Register to Vote ads and links on its home page to drive traffic to the Declare Yourself page. Declare Yourself public service announcements will also be featured on the site along with information about upcoming events and election news.
