Never underestimate what a small group of young, educated peoplecan do in their sexual prime.
For proof, visit votergasm.org.
Votergasm.org is a non-partisan, non-profit political Web sitedesigned with two goals in mind. One is to get young people toregister and vote on Nov. 2. The second is to get youth voters tohave sex on election night and withhold sex from non-voters.
Michelle Collins, spokeswoman for the campaign, said she andeight of her friends who recently graduated from Harvard andColumbia realized a major problem with the 2000 election and wantedto do something about it.
“Millions of young people didn’t vote and an evenlarger number didn’t have sex on the night of Nov. 2,”Collins said with a giggle.
But in a slightly more serious tone, Collins said they came upwith the idea last May and spent the summer talking and creatingthe Web site.
“Our intention is all positive,” Collins said.”We’re not trying to shock people,” she said ofthe bright, half-nude photos and borderline sexually explicitnarratives.
Instead, Collins said they are trying to get 18- to 24-year-oldsto the polls and to the bedroom.
“Our country is under a lot of stress,” Collinssaid. “And without sex, America will come to a grinding haltwithout much grinding.”
On the Web site, visitors are encouraged to participate inseveral ways.
First, Collins said if visitors are not registered to vote, theycan do so on the site.
Second, she said visitors should sign the pledge.
A visitor can pledge to be a “Citizen” by vowing towithhold sex from non-voters for the week following the election, a”Patriot” by promising to have sex with a voter onelection night and withhold sex from non-voters from the week afterthe election or an “American Hero” by declaring he orshe will have sex with a voter on election night and withhold sexfrom non-voters for the next four years.
The Web site warns in small print that cybersex does not fulfillthe pledge.
And if the visitor is interested in getting involved in furthercivic processes, they can follow the “ActionPictorials” to learn how to vote absentee, start an issueadvocacy group or contact elected officials.
The Web site also encourages young people who take the pledge toget together on election night by throwing Votergasm parties.
Collins said people can register a party on the site by zip codeso “hundreds of people duty bound to fulfill theirpledge” can unite on Nov. 2.
“For the kids at LSU, if they decide to throw a party,they’re going to have a blast,” she said. “Thisis the party of the year.”
Since the Web site’s launch on Sept. 1, Collins said morethan 8,000 people have taken the pledge.
But at the University, not everyone sees the rationale behindthe mission.
Josh Martin, a secondary education senior wearing a”Students for Bush” T-shirt, did not agree with Collinsthat the campaign will help motivate young people to vote.
Martin said he does not think the Web site has anything to dowith politics and is kind of goofy.
“It makes young voters seem immature,” Martin said.”It tries to play into media stereotypes of young voters— that all we care about is sex and music.”
Political science senior Maria Klimash said although sex is notrelated to voting, this is an interesting way to get young peopleto vote.
She also said she has noticed an increase in political activismacross the board after the last election proved that every votecounts.
Louis Mitchell, a general studies senior, said he thinks the Website could be effective in educating people who may not votebecause the Web site could come up in a social setting and spurothers to register.
“But I can’t see myself calling up a girl saying‘I just finished voting, ready?'” Mitchellsaid.