Hayden Panettiere Celebrates Her 18th Birthday by Declaring to Vote

Hayden Panettiere Celebrates Her 18th Birthday by Declaring to Vote

To Mark Her Coming of Age, Heroes Star and 'Declare Yourself' Spokesperson Hayden Panettiere Registers to Vote for the 2008 Elections

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Exercising her civic right, star of NBC's Heroes, Hayden Panettiere, celebrated her 18th birthday today by registering to vote utilizing the Declare Yourself campaign's easy-to-use online registration process. Panettiere is an official spokesperson for the Declare Yourself, the national nonpartisan, nonprofit youth voter initiative aimed at empowering and encouraging America's 18-year-olds to register and vote in the 2008 primaries and general election.

Like millions of other young people, Panettiere logged on to the campaign's official site at http://www.declareyourself.com/, completed the voter registration form online, printed it out and then mailed it off. She was also able to have any voting related questions answered through Declare Yourself's FAQ section.

"As an 18-year-old, I wanted to register so I can vote in the 2008 elections, and 'Declare Yourself' makes the process so easy to do," said Panettiere. "I can't think of a better way to make a difference in today's society than by voting to make sure that my voice is heard."

Research shows that getting a young person to register and vote at the age 18 is the strongest predictor of lifelong voting behavior and civic commitment. In order to get as many 18-year-olds as possible to the 2008 polls, Declare Yourself has launched a multi-tiered platform using the latest mobile and Internet technologies to engage young Americans in the voting process. Hayden Panettiere and a number of celebrity friends and partners are supporting the initiative. The campaign's key partners to date include Yahoo! (Premier Online Information Partner), MySpace (Premier Social Networking Partner), YouTube, Google, Evite, Good Search, Clear Channel, Comedy Central and American Eagle Outfitters. More than 1.2 million young voters registered through Declare Yourself's online voter registration tool in the 2004 and 2006 national elections.

About Declare Yourself

Declare Yourself is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign to energize and empower every eligible 18-year-old in America to register and vote in the 2008 presidential election. Partnering with leaders in education, the entertainment industry, popular online destinations and media outlets, the fashion industry and retailers, Declare Yourself registered well over 1.2 million people in the 2004 and 2006 elections at http://www.declareyourself.com/.

Declare Yourself, founded by Norman Lear, was launched in 2003 as the culmination of the Declaration of Independence Road Trip, a nationwide multi-media exhibit and tour of an original copy of the Declaration of Independence.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Declare Yourself

CONTACT: Elizabeth Rosenberg of Declare Yourself, +1-310-385-4186,
ElizabethR@DeclareYourself.com; or Veronica Flores of Bragman Nyman Cafarelli,
+1-310-854-4800, vflores@bncpr.com, for Declare Yourself

Web site:

http://www.declareyourself.com/

-------
Profile: intent