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What happens now has a great effect on the future. If you think that your opinion doesn't matter about who's president now, think again! The people in office now are making decisions that will affect your life now AND later! This is why it's important to get involved and be heard now, even when you can't vote.
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In particular, over 48,000 kids have logged on to pbskids.org/zoom to vote for their choice for the next president of the United States.  The latest results show President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry neck and neck for the “kid bid” for the White House.  However, hot on both of their heels is Queen Latifah, who has a shot at earning a more democratic title, with 21% of the vote.  Cameron Diaz and J.K. Rowling have received 12% and 9% of the votes respectively, and Alex Rodriguez is striking out with a meager 4%.

With the presidential election just four weeks away, ZOOM reminds kids they can play a part in the outcome through ZOOMout the Vote, a nationwide “by kids, for the people” election campaign running through November 2. Targeted to six- to twelve-year-olds, ZOOMout the Vote is designed to give kids the tools they need to get involved in and excited about the democratic process. Through a special section of the ZOOM Web site, kids can:

Be involved
ZOOMers are already making a big difference – so far, they’ve helped to get more than 20,000 grown-ups to register to vote! And, each one of those votes count – after all, it only took a little more than 500 votes to decide the winner in Florida, and in turn in the election, during the presidential race in 2000. To find information on how to get grown-ups to register – and links to forms in both English and Spanish – kids can visit the Get Your Grown-Ups to the Polls area of ZOOMout the Vote! at http://pbskids.org/zoom/fromyou/elections/grownups.html

Be counted 
Kids are making sure their grown-ups are voting and ZOOM is returning the favor by making sure that kids’ votes are counted, too.  On November 2, 2004, kids nationwide can cast their vote in ZOOM’s online presidential election. But, just like the grown-up election, it’s one day, one vote per person. So, as kids remind their grown-ups to get to the polls, they can remind themselves to get to The Kids’ Vote! on November 2. http://pbskids.org/zoom/fromyou/elections/

Be informed 
To make the best argument on why grown-ups need to vote, kids can get schooled on how the whole process works and why voting matters, find resources for learning more, and download and print the ZOOMout the Vote Guide. Go to Elections 101 in ZOOMout the Vote! for a crash course on the electoral process. http://pbskids.org/zoom/fromyou/elections/elections101.html

Be opinionated
George Washington was the greatest President in history, if you ask 34% of ZOOMers. What’s the coolest thing about being President?  Forty-one percent of ZOOMers say it’s changing the world. What’s your opinion?  Kids weigh in on presidential politics with the Sound Out in ZOOMout the Vote! http://pbskids.org/zoom/fromyou/elections/

Be surprised 
Do you know what the #1 excuse was for not voting in the last presidential election? Do you know which age group is the least likely to vote? For answers to these and many more surprising factoids, just click Think About It! in ZOOMout the Vote!
http://pbskids.org/zoom/fromyou/elections/

According to ZOOM’s executive producer, Kate Taylor, “We want to empower our young viewers by offering them ways to participate in the upcoming elections – to give them a taste of democracy in action.  We know that just over 50% of eligible voters voted in the last election and saw this as an opportunity for kids to really make an impact.  Kids may not be allowed to vote, but they certainly can have an influence over their parents!”

By kids, for kids, ZOOM is a daily, interactive television series and state-of-the-art Web site that challenges five- to eleven-year-olds to “turn off the TV and do it!” Each half-hour program features a cast of seven everyday kids playing games, performing plays, tackling science experiments, telling stories, reading poetry, solving brainteasers, whipping up recipes, and having a good time, as they bring to life ideas sent in by viewers from across the country.   Kids can also interact with ZOOM via the Web at pbskids.org/zoom, at ZOOMzone museum exhibits, and at ClubZOOM after-school programs nationwide.

WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting producer, the source of nearly one-third of PBS's primetime lineup as well as the award-winning children's series Arthur, Between the Lions, and ZOOM. Under the leadership of vice president Brigid Sullivan, the WGBH children's lineup leads the field in educational multimedia (including the Web, broadband, and interactive television) and in technologies and services that make media accessible for people with disabilities. WGBH's current children's series have been recognized with some of the world's most prestigious awards, including 11 Emmys, the George Foster Peabody award, three Prix Jeunesse awards, a BAFTA, and more than half a dozen Parents' Choice awards.  For more information, visit www.wgbh.org.

For additional press materials and photography, please visit pressroom.wgbh.org or pbs.org/pressroom.

Press contacts for further information:
Amy Zall - amy_zall(--at--)wgbh.org 
Tracy Patterson - tracy_patterson(--at--)wgbh.org 
Tsering Yangzom - tsering_yangzom(--at--)wgbh.org

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