Media Advisory: Get Out The Vote Campaign Rally
(CHICAGO, 10/27/08) - On Monday, October 27, 2008, the Chicago office of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) will join elected representatives, state legislators, immigrant advocate partners, new voters, and volunteers to celebrate the success of ICIRR's (Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and refugee rights) voter registration drive and launch the Get out the Vote Campaign. CAIR-Chicago partnered with ICIRR and the Mosque Foundation this year to promote voter participation in the upcoming election through a fellowship program entitled the New American Democracy Project (NADP). The program has registered close to 1,200 mostly Muslim and Arab voters in the southwest suburbs alone.
For several months NADP has been conducting voter registration drives, canvassing door-to-door, training volunteers, holding phone banking sessions, distributing voter education guides, and setting up workshops for first-time voters to help them understand the process.
In total, the NADP campaign has registered over 25,000 voters in 19 different immigrant communities throughout the Chicago-land area.
The campaign will now focus on getting registered voters out to the voting booths on November 4th or in early voting.
WHAT: Get Out the Vote Campaign Rally
WHEN: Monday, October 27, 2008. 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm.
WHO: U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, City of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, IL. Attorney General Lisa Madigan, U.S. RepresentativeLuis V. Gutierrez (IL-4), U.S. Representative Danny Davis (IL-7), Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle, Commissioner Joe Berrios, Mayor of Berwyn Michael O’Connor, Aldermen Ricardo Munoz, Joe More, Danny Solis and state legislators including:Iris Martinez, Antonio, Munoz, William Delgado, Mattie Hunter, Donne Trotter, Esther Golar, Eddie Acevedo, Deborah Graham, Elizabeth Hernandez, Susana Mendoza, Harry Osterman, Kevin Joyce, Tony Berrios, Linda Chapa La Via. As well as immigrant advocates from CAIR-Chicago, ICIRR, the Mosque Foundation, and hundreds of new voters and volunteers from the Asian, Latino, Muslim/Arab, African and Polish communities of Chicago and suburbs.
WHERE: Teamsters City Auditorium – Local 705; 300 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL
CAIR-Chicago, a chapter of America's largest Muslim civil rights group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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CONTACT: Reem Rahman, Communications Coordinator, CAIR-Chicago, E-Mail: communications@cairchicago.org; 312.212.1520 Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, CAIR-Chicago, E-Mail: director@cairchicago.org; 312.212.1520