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AAUW RELEASE
For Immediate Release
March 26, 2008 Contact:
Ashley Carr • 202/785-7745 • carra@aauw.org
Director of Communications and Marketing

AAUW Releases Newly Revised Community Action Guide to Mobilize Women Voters

"This is the most critical election in a generation, and AAUW is committed to ensuring that women's voices are heard at the polls. Making this valuable how-to manual available free on our website is a critical part of our voter education campaign."

- Lisa Maatz, AAUW Director of Public Policy and Government Relations

Washington -- The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has released a second edition of its well-received publication, Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout: A Manual for Community-Based Campaigns to Mobilize Women to Vote. Thanks to critical donor support, this new tool is now available free online to both AAUW members and coalition partners who are making plans to activate women voters across the country this fall.

"This is the most critical election in a generation, and AAUW is committed to ensuring that women's voices are heard at the polls," said Lisa Maatz, AAUW Director of Public Policy and Government Relations. "Making this valuable how-to manual available free on our website is a critical part of our voter education campaign."

AAUW's Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout guides advocates step-by-step through planning a campaign, which includes recruiting volunteers, working with publicly available voter registration files to identify drop-off women voters in their community, and contacting those women through canvassing and phone banking. In addition to the manual, other online tools include nonpartisan voter guide templates, e-cards, position papers, and AAUW's Congressional Voting Record for the 110th Congress, First Session.

"With approximately 100,000 bipartisan members and more than 1,000 branches, AAUW has the community connections to have a positive effect on the turnout of women voters," said Maatz. "The Woman-to-Woman program also stresses the value of continued outreach to drop-off women voters throughout the year, as well as the importance of educating women about policy issues important to them through public forums, candidate nights, and other community activities."

The methods detailed in the Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout manual were successfully used by AAUW branches and states in the 2006 midterm election to reach out to women in their communities. "AAUW expects this resource to be the centerpiece of its ongoing member-led voter education campaign and a catalyst for long-term efforts to increase voter turnout among women nationwide," said Maatz.

Take Action!
Visit AAUW's Voter Education Campaign Website at www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/voter_ed/index.cfm to download a copy of the Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout manual.

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