A PRESCRIPTION TO VOTE. Sponsored by the APA Public Policy and Advocacy Committee

We are just months away from Election Day in the United States. On Tuesday, November 4th, individuals across the country can make their voices heard on a range of issues, from state initiatives to choosing the President of the United States. As pediatric professionals, we want our patients' families to have their voices heard, too.

The APA Public Policy and Advocacy Committee is pleased to announce a new program, “A Prescription to Vote,” to help you encourage families in your practice to register to vote and to vote on Nov 4th.

Our goal is to give a Prescription to Vote to each family visiting our offices and clinics between now and November 4th. Each prescription is a 2-sided handout that can be downloaded in English or downloaded in Spanish, printed and duplicated in your office, and given to parents.

One side gives parents a “Prescription to Vote,” complete with instructions and resources for more information on voter registration, deadlines, candidates, etc. The other side is a quick comparison of the health plans proposed by the two major party candidates, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. The information is completely non-partisan and focused on healthcare issues only. For more information on the candidates’ positions on other issues important to the well-being of children, parents can refer to the web resources provided.

You can also have voter registration applications available on the spot for parents who aren’t registered to vote. Just contact your County Clerk or State Elections Office (click here for information) to order a stack of voter registration applications for your office or download and print them yourself (click here for directions for use). You may also consider asking your hospital to get involved by offering its own voter registration services. Be sure to check with your administration or governmental affairs office for your institution’s policies. Our goal is to encourage parents to exercise their right to vote and to be involved in the political process; remember to be sensitive to parents who are not legally permitted to vote.

We hope that you will implement the Prescription to Vote Program in your own offices and clinics by downloading the handout and giving it to parents. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for us, please contact: Tumaini Coker, MD, MBA at tcoker@mednet.ucla.edu

Voting Information:
www.eac.gov   www.vote411.org   www.VoteSmart.org   www.ProjectVote.org   www.DeclareYourself.com   www.RockTheVote.com

Educate yourself on the issues and get involved:
http://aap.grassroots.com/election2008/ (AAP password required)

The 2008 United States Presidential and General Election Academic Pediatric Association’s Prescription to Vote!

To the Parent(s) of: _______________________ Prescription: Vote on November 4, 2008

Directions:

• Register to Vote
  Deadlines differ by state, but in most states you must be registered to vote by October 6, 2008 (30 days before election day).
• Find out where to vote (“polling place”)
• Learn about the candidates and issues (Your vote can make a difference!)
• Vote on November 4, 2008

Resources:

• US Elections Assistance Commission: call 866-747-1471 for information or get a voter registration application online at www.eac.gov
• Other websites for voter registration and election day information: www.Vote411.org,   www.VoteSmart.org,   www.DeclareYourself.com www.barackobama.com and www.johnmccain.com.www.health08.org; www.AAP.org; NY Times Election Guide 2008; www.factcheck.org ?

Providers’s signature _______________________________