PolitiCorps Summer is a political boot camp consisting of hands-on skills training, innovative public policy intensives, and real-world applications of leadership skills and campaign savvy. PolitiCorps Fellows learn new ways of thinking about the world. But PolitiCorps is not just a school of thought. PolitiCorps is a place where Fellows learn by doing: they register voters, organize communities, vet public policy white papers, launch media campaigns, and, at the end of the day, make an impact. It’s the only program of its kind—a political immersion and leadership training program designed to engage and prepare college students and recent graduates for a broad spectrum of progressive leadership activities.

PolitiCorps Summer selects 24 Fellows from throughout the country to participate in a 10 week summer bootcamp to learn advanced skills in leadership and grassroots organizing. These are the national leaders of the next generation. The first 12 Fellows have been invited. We are currently reviewing applications for the final 12. Spots are filling fast– get your application in today!)

SPONSOR A FELLOW:
PolitiCorps fundraises to ensure that dedicated young leaders from diverse backgrounds can participate. You can help. 
$5000 covers a Fellow’s full summer training scholarship.
$1000 covers a Fellow’s summer stipend.
$250 supports an action day planned and organized by the Fellows.
$100 feeds a crew of hungry activists.
$50 supplies a Fellow with essential reading materials. 

2008 Application Process:
Want to spend your summer making a real impact on the 2008 election- and beyond?  It’s not too late- apply to PolitiCorps today!  Applications are pouring in, so sooner is better.

Applications include a written application, letters of reference and in-person or video interview. Apply online.  

PolitiCorps is particularly interested in applicants of color, LGBTQI applicants and applicants from the Western US.

Photo: Andrew Hall

With 12 short days remaining until the April 29th Oregon Primary Voter Registration deadline, the Bus Project’s Building Votes program is taking to the streets (and high schools and concerts and colleges), bringing voter access to Oregon’s youth.

On a mission to help narrow Oregon’s 2004 nation-worst 28% point gap between older and younger voter turnout, Building Votes is a non-partisan, long-term strategy to increase youth civic engagement through creative peer-to-peer voter registration and turnout work. The volunteer-driven effort hit a milestone last week, registering its 5,000th voter last week and putting it on pace to register over 20,000 young’ins by the October registration deadline—a tally that would increase Oregon’s under-34 electorate by over 5%.

“For a lot of young folks it’s just a matter of access,” says 20 year-old Bus Project volunteer Dan Leigh, “most young people we speak with aren’t apathetic or tuned out— they just don’t know how to get registered. They’re thrilled when we show up with registration cards; we’re providing a much-needed service.”

If youth primary returns from other states offer any hint of what’s in store for Oregon, we can expect record levels of youth turnout this May. Most other states have seen these turnout numbers double and triple in 2008, according to CIRCLE, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

“My generation makes up 25% of the eligible American electorate,” says 17 year-old Southridge High School senior and Bus volunteer Emma Brennan, “that’s some serious political power if we choose to wield it. I’m working to make sure we do.”

With regular volunteer Action Days, registration Pub Crawls, campus work and community outreach, Building Votes is ramping up registration efforts for the next two weeks, then preparing for a big push this summer and fall. “Look for us wherever unregistered young voters may lurk,” says outreach coordinator Melissa Chapman, “We’ll be the ones wearing the giant silly hats.

We made fun of this a while back, but the amount of excess waste caused by bottled water is real. I am bad about drinking enough water in the first place, but I have changed my ways and only drink out of reusable water bottles. Check out this video and this Article about options to cut back on the bottled water waste.

Well folks, it’s that time of year again. Building Votes is registering with a vengeance.

In case you don’t recall, last time around, in 2006, we (yes, Lane Co. Bus) registered over 6,000 young voters! This time, we are out to smash that goal to smithereens.

We means all of us. You and me. Together.
And since we’re working together on this, here’s a Building Votes secret — Lines are one of the hottest voter registration spots in town.

With that in mind, the ultimate voter registration deal is back on the table: volunteer and register voters in lines at the coolest concerts in town and then attend the show that night, free!

The following shows are all at the WOW Hall. (Keep your eyes peeled for future info on McDonald Theatre shows. This is a first come, first serve basis, so hit us up now-ish…

Sunday, April 6, An Evening with the California Guitar Trio
Doors at 7:30, show at 8:00
1-2 volunteers needed, rsvp here

Thursday, April 10, Heavyweight Dub Champion
Doors at 8:30, show at 9:00
1-2 volunteers needed, rsvp here

Friday, April 11, Everyone Orchestra presents S.E.E. (Small Ensemble Experiments) with Disco Organica
Doors at 8:30, show at 9:00
1-2 volunteers needed, rsvp here

Saturday, April 12, Luckyiam, Sandpeople, Animal Farm
Doors at 8:30, show at 9:00
1-2 volunteers needed, rsvp here

also…
Every Saturday
Saturday Market, 11 am
3-4 volunteers needed, rsvp here

…Looking forward to rocking out with everyone….

A few reasons why i think Mike is pretty cool.
And, a few more reasons why I am happy he’s on The Bus.

1. he always has his eye on local politics. he’s always watching (and, not in a creepy way, in a smart kinda way).
2. he keeps volunteers engaged and feeling like they are part of a family.
3. when asked to describe the Bus in only 3 words, he chooses: Wheeled yellow submarine
3. he’s pretty darn good at listening, even when he has not slept in a few days.
4. he’s entertaining to watch in meetings because he’s usually the only one eating all the salsa
5. he’s usually the only one dropping salsa all over himself….or important bus paperwork.

Thanks for all your hard work over the years Mike. Happy Birthday.

Effort seeks to increase number of voters ages 18 to 35

By RUTH LIAO
Statesman Journal

Heather Longfellow recently turned 18, but it was on Wednesday that she signed up as a voter for the first time, thanks to an event that mixed music and voter registration.

“They’re really dressing it up,” Longfellow said. “It’s cool.”

Longfellow was attending Thirst Wednesday, an event of bands and visual artists that were spread among eight downtown venues, including Coffee House Cafe, Straight from New York Pizza and Cascade Baking Company.

Its organizer, Ross Swartzendruber, who has set up other cultural events such as the music festival Mix-n-Mash and the Mid-Valley Video Festival, said he wanted to promote a voting registration drive in Salem. MTV’s Rock the Vote also was an event sponsor.

Swartzendruber said the event’s name Thirst Wednesday was a play on words, drawing from the downtown event First Wednesday, which begins in May.

“For anyone thirsting for participation and democracy, they can register to vote and also have a drink of coffee and beer at any of the venues,” Swartzendruber said.

Timothy j. gonzalez | Statesman Journal

Copperjohns owner Deborah McBee said she was glad to sponsor a voting registration event. McBee said just educating young people about politics was important.

“If you don’t vote, you really can’t complain,” she said.

Outreach voting registration efforts also were planned at Salem Public Library, Chemeketa Community College, Willamette University and Western Oregon University.

About 150 voters signed up Wednesday, during the downtown entertainment and on the campuses of Willamette and Chemeketa, said Clare Seekins, the campus coordinator for the Oregon Bus Project, a nonpartisan organization that seeks to increase civic participation.

Some students were reregistering with new addresses, but others were registering for the first time, Seekins said.

Bus Project coordinator Melissa Chapman said young voters — anyone between 18 and 35 — often feel disenfranchised from the voting process, but the organization has found that just asking is the most direct way.

“We’re consistent and persistent,” she said.

In front of The Beanery on Liberty Street NE, musician Sam Brown, who performs as Bo.Monro, finished one song of his guitar set and shouted, “register to vote,” among cheers.

Musician Jennifer Carmichael said she and her husband, Alex, who perform in the band Klaloch, signed up at a Rock the Vote event in 2004.

Music always draws people to participate, especially for a younger crowd, Jennifer Carmichael said.

“It’s also nice for the powers-that-be to recognize that this is an important population,” she said.

I always love learning about my state from a newspaper that isn’t based in my state. Or in my country.

The BBC has an article about the state of our state’s health care system as a case study of the absurd solutions states are going to because of a health care system in shambles. We are covering a “lucky” 10,000 out of 600,000 in Oregon without health care, and out of an eligible 90,000.

We had a chance to insure all children in Oregon — and that was measure 50. That’s 104,000 children. That’s Autzen filled up twice — full of kids. That was Measure 50 where a sales tax on cigarettes would have accomplished this — and had the side effect of reducing rates of smoking, especially smoking of those under 18. And the cigarette companies put $12 million dollars into Oregon, in violation of the Master Settlement Agreement, and used their high-paid marketing power to convince Oregonians with any possible argument that they tested and knew would work.

KDUK reported this evening that Justin Timberlake died in a plane crash. I’m not seeing this anywhere else so can only assume it is an April Fools Day joke.

Over the line guys…

My company just gave us all some nice aluminum bottles so we don’t waste bottles…Colbert has gone an alternate route!