Statewide voter registration drive launched
Kathleen A. Shaw, T&G STAFF

WORCESTER- Madhu Sridhar, president of the Massachusetts League of Women Voters, called it "unacceptable" that only one in three Massachusetts residents ages 18 to 24 voted in the 2000 election
and that participation was even lower for citizens of Hispanic and Asian ancestry.

The league launched its 2004 voter registration drive yesterday from the Worcester Public Library. The
goal is to reach out to young people and those in the Hispanic and Asian communities to encourage them
to register and vote in the presidential election this year.

Yesterday was the last day residents of Massachusetts could register to vote in the March 2 presidential primary, but it is
not too late to register to vote in the November presidential election. Ms. Sridhar said about 1.5 million
people of voting age in Massachusetts did not vote in the 2000 election.

"Eleven states had a better turnout than Massachusetts. In addition, the statistics look worse if we zero in
on turnout in minority communities and in the 18- to 24-year-old group of voters," she said.

Ms. Sridhar said in Massachusetts, one in five Hispanic citizens voted in the 2000 presidential election and one in five Asian citizens voted.

Penelope B. Johnson, head librarian at the Worcester Public Library, said the league's new interactive voter information sites, www.dnet.org and www.votinginfo.info, will be linked to the library's Web site, www.worcpublib.org.

The state's public libraries hope to become a free resource for nonpartisan and accurate information on
where candidates stand on issues, according to Joseph S. Hopkins, chairman of the state library commissioners.

Mr. Hopkins said some people erroneously think that the town library - and every city and town in Massachusetts has one - is "old-fashioned and obsolete." The state's libraries are equipped with computers where citizens can click onto any number of Web sites and databases to get whatever information they need. The service is free.

Ms. Johnson said the library is a good resource for people who for whatever reason are not connected to
the Internet.

Leanore F. Bona, president of the Worcester chapter of the League of Women Voters, said the local
group is reaching out to area colleges to see what is being done to encourage students to register and
vote.

Adam Gravit, a senior at Assumption College, and Nicole Santosuosso, an Assumption junior, said
students at their school are doing a number of things to become involved in the political process. The
college sponsored on-campus debates involving  local politicians, internships are offered at a local political offices and students have a chance to go to Washington, D.C., over winter break to be interns at the White House.

Assumption also has separate clubs for young Democrats and Republicans, and one of their
accomplishments has been to get more students registered to vote. The clubs are gearing up now to get students prepared to vote in the presidential election, they said.