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COURTESY OF ANTI-FIAG/DANIEL VELASQUEZ
The above image, designed by a private artist for Anti-Flag, depicts the group's forward stance on voicing political opinions. Punk Voter emphasizes the harmful effects of apathy in the upcoming election.
BY BECCA MOORE
ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
There are far more than
20-20-24 hours to go,
but come Nov. 2, sedated
is the last place America’s
voting youth need to find
themselves.
In the buildup to this
year’s heavily contested Election Day
showdown, a bevy of musicians and
musical alliances have formed to help
motivate their listeners.
One such group, Punk Voter, aims
to educate punk-rock fans about the
upcoming election, as well as about
the importance of voting and continu
ing political involvement Founded by
Fat Mike of veteran punk band NOFX,
the group has attracted a fair share of
support from the scene.
“I’d say the outcome of the 2000
election is what motivated myself and
everyone I know that’s involved with
Punk Voter,” Fat Mike wrote in an e
mail. “It taught us all that every vote
Diversions
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COURTESY OF FAT WRECK CHORDS
The punk band Anti-Flag is just one of more than 100 groups that advocates political responsibility
through the Punk Voter organization, formed by Fat Mike, the founder of the band's record label.
matters and we need to get involved,
or we’ll get screwed.”
Toby Jeg, a Punk Voter organizer,
said that shortly before the 2000
election, Fat Mike played a number of
shows in Florida to an estimated com
bined crowd of 50,000 people.
“He realized he could have said
something on stage, and a couple
hundred kids could have gone out
and changed the outcome of the elec
tion,” Jeg said. “It made him realize we
needed to start doing something.”
Full oflinks to news issues and guest
columns by punk-scene stalwarts and
newcomers alike, the Punk Voter Web
site, www.punkvoter.com, is designed
to give interested audiences tools to
inform themselves.
The support base for Punk Voter
comprises 39 companies and 132
bands, including popular acts such
as Green Day, No Doubt, Rancid and
Foo Fighters.
Fat Mike said it was easy to win the
backing of so many groups.
www.dthonllne.com
“It’s not just about
this election,
but elections in
the future and
local politics.”
PAT THETIC, ANTI-FLAG
“I was surprised at the overwhelm
ing support we got from so many
bands and so many punk rockers,” he
wrote. “I just put the word out there,
and before you knew, we had this
massive slew of bands, labels, zines,
everybody.”
In addition to encouraging people
to register to vote, Jeg also stressed the
need for the punk fan base to become
active and informed in order to invoke
change.
“We’re new to this. We’re really
not political people,” Jeg said. “This is
really a first for a scene so rooted in
anti-establishment mentalities."
Punk Voter, with its Rock Against
Bush Vol. 1 and 2 compilations as
well as the Rock Against Bush tour,
does not shy away from criticizing the
Republican incumbent. But Jeg said
the organization is also focused on
simply getting people to think about
politics and how it affects their lives.
“There are a lot of punk rockers out
there,” Jeg said. “They can form a bloc
of voters that legislators will have to
recognize, and their needs and issues
will have to be addressed.”
Jeg said the site receives more than
500,000 hits a day and estimated that
efforts on the Vans Warped Tour have
registered more than 20,000 people:
‘We had a big presence on the 60-date
tour with a Punk Voter booth.”
He said Punk Voter workers signed
up 300 to 400 young voters per day
sometimes as many as 900, as they
did in Detroit.
Pat Thetic of the band Anti-Flag
(Thr lailg ®ar MtA
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2004
said the group was excited to be
involved with Punk Voter from its
beginning.
We were in contact with Fat Mike
when he started it,” Thetic said. We
said we’d love to be involved. We are
fans of getting out ideas.”
On top of being featured on the
Rock Against Bush VoL 1 compilation,
Anti-Flag recently wrapped up a stint
on the Rock Against Bush tour.
We’re not just trying to win the
election, we’re trying to win the argu
ment,” Thetic said. “The current con
servative thought is trying to take us
backward, not forward. It’s not just
about this election, but elections in
the future and local politics.”
Specifically citing environmental
degradation and its long-term ramifi
cations, Thetic said there are impor
tant issues that are being decided by
people who are “not us.”
“Bush and Kerry are both
SEE PUNK VOTER, PAGE 8