Voting doggy style

What do Snoop Dogg and Michael Moore have in common? And no, Moore did not have a special appearance on Snoop's "Girls Gone Wild Doggy Style." Give up? They both rock the vote. \nListed on the Rock the Vote Web site -- a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to promote voting among young people -- are more than 300 actors, musicians and other notables who have lent their name to promote the right to vote. According to www.rockthevote.com, MTV hosts a myriad of events from concerts to voter registration drives to help increase voting among young adults. But while the organization uses marketing tactics like celebrity endorsements, which might at times seem a little sketchy, their strategy works. \nTuesday afternoon, the Rock the Vote bus made a stop on the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis campus. Volunteers -- many of whom were IUPUI students -- were manning booths encouraging people to register to vote by helping them fill out voter registration cards. \nThe event, however, had some qualities about which I had to question myself. At one of the Rock the Vote booths, I was asked if I wanted to enter a contest to win a free trip to Hawaii. Apparently, if I pledge to "Rock the Vote on November 2, 2004," I could be in the running for a free trip to the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, among other big prizes. (Note: You don't have to vote to win. It's illegal to promise prizes and other things in exchange for voting, as the IU Student Association found out in 2002.)\nDo I really need to be enticed with a free prize just to vote? Shouldn't we just be happy that our voice was heard? I would hope so. To me, having the ability to choose our leaders and, in turn, the direction of public policy is prize enough. But today most young people are apathetic when it comes to the basic democratic process. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 26 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in the 2000 election. \nWhile we are one of the most politically apathetic groups, we are the ones that will be affected by many of the issues debated today. Do you think we will see a dime of Social Security benefits if we don't speak up now? What happens in the elections now will have a direct effect on our lives in the future. \nSo I go back to my earlier question: Do I need to be enticed to vote? Does it need to be rocked to make it seem cool? Is it necessary to get celebrity endorsements for this constitutionally guaranteed right? Probably not, but if it gets people to exercise this important right, then I am for it. \nWhatever tactic gets you involved in the voting process in the first place, just make sure you know why you are doing it when you step into that voting booth. Make sure you know who to vote for based on the issues. \nRock the Vote may seem like it is encouraging people who are apathetic about the issues. But as IUPUI graduate student Beth Mickelson said, events like Rock the Vote help "wake up people from that numb slumber" of cultural apathy. It helps introduce them to the issues that will undoubtedly affect them.\nSo go out now and Rock the Vote. Register now. The deadline in Indiana is Oct. 4. You can get information from Rock the Vote's Web site.\nRegister now and vote in November. Rock the Vote! After all, Britney Spears is doing it.