From: Hrccomm@aol.com Date: Tue, 5 Mar 1996 18:24:11 -0500 Subject: HRC Unveils OutVote 96, Its First Political Convention ________________________________________________________ NEWS from the Human Rights Campaign 1101 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20005 email: communications@hrcusa.org WWW: http://www.hrcusa.org ________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, March 4, 1996 HRC UNVEILS OUTVOTE 96, ITS FIRST POLITICAL CONVENTION Also Launches Youth Campaign College to Train Tomorrow's Movement Leaders FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO OUR WEBSITE AT http://www.hrcusa.org Washington -- As part of its drive to make a difference in federal, state and local elections in 1996, the Human Rights Campaign will hold its first national political convention -- OutVote 96 -- and its first Youth College for Campaign Training to equip young activists to work in political campaigns this fall. "OutVote 96 promises to pull together major political figures, the best campaign experts in the business and HRC professionals to motivate and train HRC members," said Elizabeth Birch, HRC's executive director. "The goals include helping to elect a Congress supportive of lesbian and gay equal rights; re-electing the first president in history who has endorsed a lesbian or gay civil rights bill; and defeating anti-gay ballot initiatives." About 1,000 of HRC's staunchest supporters are expected to attend the convention, from Aug. 16-18 in Chicago. They will learn essential campaign skills, become educated about HRC's slate of candidates and get prepared to return home and make a difference in local, state and national elections. HRC chose Chicago because it is the heartland of America, located in a must-win state for the presidential election. During the week leading up to OutVote 96, the Youth College will train 26 young people to provide a boost to campaigns across the country and work for the defeat of anti-gay initiatives and the election of a fair-minded Congress. "After the elections, these young leaders will continue to provide vision and energy in the fight for lesbian, gay and bisexual equal rights for years to come," Birch said. The Youth College, also in Chicago, will include six days of intensive workshops, teaching the essentials of winning campaigns. From Aug. 13-18, participants will learn about campaign management, fund-raising, media use and get-out-the-vote skills. The week ends with Youth College members participating in OutVote 96. OutVote 96 offers a weekend packed with skills-building workshops to teach voter registration and get-out-the-vote techniques, including phonebanking, literature drops, canvassing and visibility. Media and fund-raising training will also be a focus. Discussions will center around how to talk about lesbian and gay issues using the most up-to-date polling data in order to get fair-minded Americans to register and vote. HRC's political staff will be on hand to outline the important issues in races across the nation. "This is a critical election year, and HRC has set forth an aggressive strategy to accomplish ambitious goals for the health and safety of all Americans after the 96 elections," Birch said. The top priorities of the plan include: Re-electing President Clinton; Electing a Congress supportive of equal rights for lesbian and gay people; Defeating statewide anti-gay ballot initiatives; and Embarking on groundbreaking partnerships with state and local organizations with strategic and targeted goals for victory on the state, local and national levels. "In the 1990 election, the focus of our community was to defeat Jesse Helms," Birch said. "In 1992, our priority was to elect Bill Clinton. In 1994, lesbian and gay Americans across the country helped to defeat anti-gay ballot initiatives in Oregon and Idaho. Now, in 1996, it is necessary for us to do all three. " The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization, with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian and gay Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. - 30 - ________________________________________________________