I'm nervous. This is my first time voting and I don't want to ruin it. I enter the town hall, a building that seems reserved for special events. I wait a few moments; Finally, I reach the older woman handing out the ballots. She asks my name, to which I respond with a clear “Deirdre Ball.” She checks a list of pre-registered voters. Earlier in the week, someone had come to my high school to register high school students of voting age. The person who came to my high school worked alone; it did not have a large-scale organization behind it. All he cared about was making sure everyone who could vote would do so. It turned out that my name was not on the registration list, a mystery the cause of which I will never know. That didn't stop me from voting. All I had to do was show the elderly lady my ID and she filled out a sheet. This situation got me thinking: how many people have trouble trying to vote? How many people are not being heard because they don't know how to register? The Rock the Vote organization has been helping young people engage in political activities 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 a Virgin Records executive. He also had help from Steve Barr, who was a campaign operative and political fundraiser. On their website, Rock the Votes states that they work "with artists to attract the attention of young people and involve 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 ...... uh, in the years following its inception, I would say Rock the Vote didn't have much success. While it could draw attention to voting and increase voter registration, it failed to actually get people to the polls. Works Cited Kawahinma-Ginsberg, Kel, Dr. A time series of voter turnout for 1972-2010. November 12, 2011. Raw data. Jonathan M. Tisch Tufts University College of Citizenship and Public Service, Tufts University. LaMendola, Maura. "About Us." Get the vote going:. Rock the Vote, 2013. Web. November 17, 2013. Powers, Doug. “Stir up the vote.” The American Spectator. NP, 2013. Web. November 17, 2013. Rock the Vote Staff. “History of Rock the Vote.” Get the vote going:. 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.