Obama’s Campaign for Change to Launch Innovative Voter Registration Effort in Florida’s African American Communities

FT. LAUDERDALE – Obama’s Campaign for Change announces an aggressive national barbershop and beauty salon voter registration campaign to court Florida’s nearly 600,000 unregistered African Americans.

On Saturday, August 9 at 2pm State Rep. Perry Thurston, volunteers, organizers and supporters will be at Neighborhood Unisex Salon located at 733 NW Sistrunk Blvd. in Ft. Lauderdale.

As part of a national effort to register voters, Obama volunteers and organizers will be in cities throughout Florida visiting barbershops and salons to encourage unregistered African Americans to get involved in this historic election.

Registration forms will then be placed in barbershops and salons throughout the state, for volunteers and staff to collect later and deliver to local supervisors of elections.

In 2004, Florida’s victory was decided by mere 5% or 381,000 voters. Today, 591,000 of Florida’s African Americans are not registered to vote.

“This presents a tremendous opportunity for Barack Obama given the slim margin of President Bush’s win in 2004,” Obama Spokeswoman Adora Andy said. “Florida will once again play a pivotal role in determining the next President of the United States, and African Americans can and will have a decisive impact on the outcome of the election.”

The Campaign’s innovative voter registration effort seeks to build upon the important political role barbershop and beauty salons already play within the African American community.

Barbershops and beauty salons are places where people gather and discuss the news of the day and the challenges their neighborhood faces. Senator Barack Obama recognizes the importance of these businesses as they are often a traditional site for serious discussion of politics and civic responsibility.

More than 8 million African Americans are not registered to vote nationwide. In the spirit of meeting people where they live, the Barbershop and Beauty Salon initiative is just one of the original ways the Obama campaign is working to increase voter participation this fall.

People interested in getting more information on the program can use their cell phones to text “barber” or “beauty” to 62262 (OBAMA).