Respect My Vote, 99 Days To Go

In 99 days, the 2008 presidential campaign will come to an end. On Nov. 4, voters will go to the polls and cast their ballot away from the prying eyes of Gallup, Rasmussen, Quinnipiac and other pollsters.

As in 2004, the hip-hop community is urging young people to empower themselves and "vote for it."

Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., president of the Hip Hop Caucus, kicked off "Respect My Vote!" yesterday. The voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaign will mobilize young people between the ages of 18 and 29 who are not in college. The targeted states include California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

Hip hop artist T.I. is the campaign's spokesman:

It's an honor and a pleasure to be involved with the Hip Hop Caucus and be a part of such a worthy cause and important campaign. I look forward to urging the masses to take advantage of the right that I no longer have.

Meanwhile, voter registration drives are getting no respect in Virginia, where Republican Party Chairman Jeffrey Frederick is calling for an investigation of alleged "voter fraud":

It seems nearly every day I read or hear of some news report about how many new people are being registered to vote in Virginia in anticipation of the Presidential race this year. Getting more citizens involved in the process is great – that's what democracy is all about. Yet, nothing undermines democracy more than poisoning the process and jeopardizing the integrity of our elections.

This is a very serious and troubling trend that we are seeing in Virginia. Laws are being broken and Virginians have to wonder if there is a deliberate effort underway to corrupt and affect the outcome of November's elections. I urge the Governor and Attorney General to take immediate action to investigate these matters.

The Washington Post reports the Governor and Attorney General have declined to investigate, saying it is a "local matter."

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