I'm nervous. It's my first time voting and I don't want to ruin it. I enter City Hall, a building that appears to be reserved for special events. I wait a few moments; I finally reach the older woman handing out the ballots. He asks my name, to which I respond with a clear "Deirdre Ball." Check a list of pre-registered voters. Earlier in the week, someone had come to my high school to register seniors who were old enough to vote. The person who came to my high school worked alone; he didn't have a large-scale organization behind him. All she cared about was making sure everyone who could vote did so. It turned out my name wasn't on the registration list, a mystery the cause of which I'll never know. This didn't stop me from voting. All I had to do was show the old lady my ID and she filled out a paper. This situation, however, made me think: how many people have difficulty trying to vote? How many people aren't being heard because they don't know how to register? The Rock the Vote organization has been helping young people engage in political activity for over 20 years. According to their website, rockthevote.com, Rock the Vote began as a result of attacks on artists' freedom of speech and expression. It all started in 1990 in Los Angeles, California, and was founded by a man named Jeff Ayeroff, who was an executive at Virgin Records. He also had assistance from Steve Barr, who was a campaign worker and political fundraiser. On their website, Rock the Votes says they work “with artists to attract the attention of young people and engage them in building a political movement to fight for young people and the issues that affect their lives.” In 1992, two yes... middle of paper... er turns out in the years after its founding, I would say Rock the Vote was not very successful. While it may draw attention to voting and increase voter registration, it has failed to actually bring people to the polls. Works CitedKawahinma-Ginsberg, Kel, Dr. A Voter Turnout Time Series For 1972-2010. November 12, 2011. Raw data. Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University, Tufts University. LaMendola, Maura. "Who we are." Swing the vote:. Rock the Vote, 2013. Web. November 17, 2013. Powers, Doug. “Rock the vote crumbles.” The American spectator. Np, 2013. Web. November 17, 2013. Rock the Vote Staff. "History of Rock the Vote." Swing the vote:. Rock the Vote, 2013. Web. November 17, 2013. Softley, Jeff. "MTV's Rock the Vote: Beyond Useless." The raw story. Raw Story Media Inc., 2013. Web. November 17. 2013.