Drive to get out young voters

(CNS): A Caymanian fashion designer is using his skills to help encourage young voters to get registered for the 2009 General Elections. Luigi Moxam, owner of the One 345 clothing company, has designed a T-shirt with the slogan “Be proud, Be loud, register to vote”, which will be given out at Gillian’s Lounge from 5:00 pm this Saturday 20 December. The Cayman Elections Office will be there to assist. Also planned are also a series of public services announcements (PSA) running on various radio stations.

“Registering to vote is a very important issue in Cayman. Young persons especially can offer a lot with their participation in the voting process and we need to encourage them to make their voices heard. This is my way to help in that process” said Moxam.

Luigi, who is a young voter himself and who is also heavily involved in the community as a Director of Rotaract Blue, said that far too often young people are left out because they may not be aware of the process and timing to get registered.

“It is not that they don’t care about the issues. In fact, many young voters can speak at great length about the many issues that affect them and the country in general. Thepoint is that we must all encourage as many eligible persons to register as that makes the democratic process much more effective”.

Young voters are known worldwide to be an effective voting group but for a variety of reasons tend to have lower participation levels. The recent election for president of the United States was notable in its ability to encourage a record turnout of young American voters.

Moxam expressed gratitude to Bodden Town residents and businessmen Mark Scotland and Dwayne Seymour for endorsing this initiative to concentrate on the younger generation. “They knew what I was aiming to achieve and they came forward to support, and I am grateful for that. Hopefully it will inspire others within the 27 year age gap. This will enable an entire generation, to communicate the issues that affect our future as well, allowing us to take more initiative and express our voice by simply being registered to Vote”, Moxam said. “It would be great to achieve a record turn out of young voters in the 2009 General Elections and hope that I can help to make that a reality in the Cayman Islands.”