ELECTIONS 2008
Young voters of faith

IN THE NORTHEAST
• Elizabeth E. Carr, a Catholic religious adviser at Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., is a past vice president of the National Association of College and University Chaplains. She can discuss the political engagement of young people of faith on college campuses. Contact 413-542-8083, ecarr@amherst.edu
• Andrés Idarraga is a 2008 graduate of Brown University who will start law school at Yale University in the fall. He has been an organizer, spokesman and activist for the Right to Vote Campaign in Rhode Island. According to his biography, at age 20 he was sent to prison and served six and a half years. After his release, he wanted to turn his life around by becoming a positive force within his community. Contact via Right to Vote, 401-781-5808 ext. 102.
• Elaine C. Kamarck is a lecturer in public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Mass. She worked in the Clinton-Gore administration and wrote a March 31, 2008, op-ed piece for Newsday outlining the difficulties McCain may face in reaching young voters. Contact 617-495-9002, elaine_kamarck@harvard.edu.
• The Maine League of Young Voters is a state chapter of the League of Young Voters. Contact 207-772-3207.
• Carmen Sirianni is a professor of sociology and public policy at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. He is an expert on the role social networks play in youth civic engagement. Contact 781-736-2652, sirianni@brandeis.com.

IN THE EAST
• Shane Claiborne is a Philadelphia-based Christian activist and co-author of Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals (2008).  He can discuss young evangelicals who may vote Democratic. Contact via Melissa Delong, 610-341-1735.
• Connie Flanagan is a professor of youth civic development at Penn State University in University Park, Pa. She can discuss the role family and personal values play in the development of young people’s political views. Contact 814-863-7425, caf15@psu.edu.
• Jon Gromek is an organizing associate at Network, a Catholic social justice group based in Washington, D.C., that lobbies politicians to adopt policies the group sees as being in tune with the Christian Gospels. He is 22 years old. Contact 202-347-9797 ext. 204, jgromek@networklobby.org.
• Fredrick C. Harris is a professor of political science at Columbia University in New York City. He is an expert on the political awareness and participation of African-American youth. Contact 212-854-6593, fh2170@columbia.edu.
• Scott C. Keeter is associate director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press in Washington, D.C. He co-wrote the book The Diminishing Divide: Religion’s Changing Role in American Politics. Contact 202-293-3126 ext. 16, keeters@people-press.org.
• Khari Mosely is national coordinator of the League of Young Voters and has extensive experience with youth political activism in Pittsburgh. Contact 412-231-8648, khari@pittsbughunited.org.
• Jason Page is the outreach coordinator for New York City for Generation Engage. Contact 646-792-8085, Jason.page@generationengage.org.
• Cliff Zukin is a political science professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. He has described today’s young voters as “incredibly tolerant” in terms of race and gender and can comment on the voting habits of young people and how they differ from their parents. Contact 732-932-4100 ext. 6205, zukin@rci.rutgers.edu.

IN THE SOUTHEAST
• Courtney Crowder is the North Carolina state chairman for Generation Engage in Raleigh. Contact 919-833-5956, Courtney@generationengage.org.
• Melinda Lundquist Denton is a graduate student in religion sociology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She is the project manager for the National Study of Youth and Religion and is a co-author of Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. Contact mlund@email.unc.edu.
• Rock Higgins is pastor of A Different Richmond, an emergent church of young Christians that meets Saturday nights in different locations around Richmond, Va. One of the group’s goals is to put its faith into practice in the broader community. Contact 804-306-2112, rock@adifferentrichmond.net.
• Ali Ingersoll is outreach coordinator for Generation Engage for South Florida. She is based in Miami. Contact 954-303-5585, ali.ingersoll@generationengage.org.
• Kenneth Stroupe is a political scientist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He is director of the university’s National Youth Leadership Initiative. He has said he is skeptical of young voters’ dedication because they have historically turned out to vote in low numbers. Contact 434-243-8468, kstroupe@virginia.edu.
• John Transue is an assistant professor of political science at Duke University in Durham, N.C. His expertise includes the political participation of youth. Contact 919-660-4300, transue@duke.edu.

IN THE SOUTH
• David P. Gushee is University Fellow and Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. He edited Christians & Politics Beyond the Culture Wars: An Agenda for Engagement. Contact 731-661-5024, dgushee@uu.edu.
• Penny Long Marler is a professor of religion at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. She has tracked contemporary trends in religious behavior and has written about the attitudes of young adult Catholics. Contact 205-726-2869, plmarler@samford.edu.
• Onyinyechukwa Nwabuoku was the leader of the Hillblazers chapter at Tulane University in New Orleans. Contact onwabuok@tulane.edu.

IN THE MIDWEST
• David E. Campbell is an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame who has written widely on religion and politics and what motivates voters to go to the polls. His books include, as editor, A Matter of Faith: Religion in the 2004 Presidential Election (2007). Contact 574-631-7809, Dave_Campbell@nd.edu.
• Ryan Friedrichs is Michigan coordinator for the Center for Civic Participation and executive director of Michigan Voice, a statewide collaboration focused on progressive communication and on coordinating outreach to historically underrepresented voters, including communities of color, young voters, new citizens and low-income voters. It is based in Detroit. He is also on the executive committee of the Young Voter PAC. Contact 313-566-0538, ryan@ccp.org.
• Bakari Kitwana is the author of The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African-American Culture. He has taught a course titled “The Politics of the Hip-Hop Generation” at Kent State University. He lives in Westlake, Ohio. Contact 440-779-9893, bakari@bakarikitwana.com.
• Awais Khaleel is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was the first Muslim to serve as state chair for the Wisconsin College Democrats and is now the first Muslim to serve as vice president of the College Democrats of America. He is also involved with Campus Progress and is a superdelegate who has endorsed Obama. Contact khaleela@collegedems.com.
• Lauren Wolfe is president of the College Democrats of America. She attends law school in Detroit and frequently blogs about young voters for the Huffington Post. Contact wolfel@collegedems.com.
• Angela Woodson is director of outreach for the Ohio governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in Columbus. She is co-founder of Blacks United in Local Democracy, a political action committee that encourages young people to run for political office. She has co-chaired the National Hip-Hop Political Convention and works with Campus Progress. Contact 614-466-3398.

IN THE SOUTHWEST
• Kevin Bondelli works in youth activism and Democratic politics as the Young Demcrats of America’s Southwest region director from Arizona and a member of the Democratic National Committee’s Youth Council. He blogs about the youth vote. Contact kbondelli@gmail.com.
• Tony Gonzales is a vice chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party. At 31, he is one of the youngest political leaders in the state. He has said mobilizing the state’s youth vote is among his top priorities. He lives in Flagstaff. Contact 928-606-2109, toniojax@yahoo.com.
• Michael McDevitt is an associate professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is an expert on youth civic engagement and youth engagement in elections and oversaw a 2006 study of the political activity of American teenagers. Contact 303-735-0460, mochael.mcdevitt@coloradu.edu.

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST
• Eugene Cho is a pastor at Quest Church, a Seattle church with a largely under-35 crowd. On his blog, he has encouraged young Christians to look beyond issues, such as abortion, that he says have allowed them to be “manipulated” by politicians. Contact Eugene@seattlequest.org.
• Jaime Contreras is outreach coordinator for Generation Engage for the San Jose, Calif., area. Contact 408-340-0828, Jaime.contreras@generationengage.org.
• Catherine Corigall-Brown conducted a study on the political activism of University of California, Irvine students and found that their political involvement, whether motivated by environmental concerns, religious convictions or a sense of service, fostered a belief that they can collectively make a difference. Contact ccorriga@uci.edu.
• Bob Cornwall is a Disciples of Christ pastor who for 2 ½ years has written a column on faith in the public square for the Lompoc (Calif.) Record. His blog is titled “Ponderings on a Faith Journey” and includes his reflections about young voters of faith. He is based in Santa Barbara, Calif., but is moving to Troy, Mich., to become senior pastor at Central Woodward Christian Church. Contact drbobcornwall@yahoo.com.
• Thomas Goldstein is described as “head honcho” at the Seattle-based Washington Bus project, a spinoff of the Oregon Bus Project, which seeks to engage young people in politics. Contact 206-325-1889, Thomas@washingtonbus.org.
• Wynton Hall is a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. He is a frequent speaker at college seminars for young conservatives. Contact via Flaming Star Literary Enterprises, 212-222-0083, flamingstarlit@aol.com or whall@hoover.stanford.edu.
• Jefferson Smith is the founding chair of the Oregon Bus Project, a grassroots organization that seeks to motivate young people to “do one thing” for democracy. It has offices in Portland and Eugene. Contact 503-233-3018.