Voter Registration Week for the November 5, 2002 General Election was held from September 30, 2002 through October 6, 2002.

VOTER REGISTRATION WEEK - NOVEMBER 5, 2002 GENERAL ELECTION:

The Secretary of State officially kicked off Voter Registration Week in Sacramento on Monday, September 30th.

Thousands of people go to grocery and drug stores every week, a fact that makes these stores great places to promote voter registration and participation. The Secretary of State's office encouraged grocery stores to display voter registration cards and outreach materials during Voter Registration Week.

Young people today are only half as likely to vote as their elders. We therefore designated this day as Education Day. The Secretary of State's office partnered with the California State Student Association and encouraged California's college and university students to register to vote to ensure their voices were heard on Election Day. In addition, California's high school teachers were encouraged to discuss the ideas of democracy and civic participation in their classes.

Businesses and organizations throughout California were encouraged to display voter registration materials and offer voter registration cards to all eligible employees before the close of registration on October 21, 2002. In addition, all businesses and organizations were encouraged to use e-mail and/or corporate web sites to promote voter registration and voter participation in the November 5th General Election.

The Secretary of State's office partnered with Rock the Vote on Friday, October 4th to encourage people to register to vote.

Saturday was the perfect day to target people who were looking for weekend entertainment. The Secretary of State's office partnered with World Wrestling Entertainment to encourage voter registration. In addition, video/record stores, libraries, and book stores throughout California were encouraged to display voter registration cards and outreach materials during Voter Registration Week.

In the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Secretary of State's office developed the Vote America project to provide every eligible voter with the opportunity to be a part of America and help protect democracy by strengthening it at its very core - the ballot box.

Sunday, October 7th, was designated as Vote America day. We encouraged all Americans to register to vote on this day. By taking part in our electoral process, Americans supported our country and honored America's everyday heroes who put their lives on the line or have died for our freedom.