Use your gaming console to register

Aug 22, 2008 06:29 GMT  ·  By

If you live in the United States, you can use your Microsoft manufactured Xbox 360 to register so that you can vote in the upcoming elections. Grassroots organization Rock the Vote, which has been trying to get young people to vote for more than a decade, has decided to enter a partnership with the software giant designed to use new technology to reach out to those interested in politics.

The new service will be provided through Xbox Live on August 25. Rock the Vote will use the new service to deliver announcements regarding the presidential elections while various polls will be provided for users to express their opinions. A special forum will also be set up and Xbox 360 users will be able to send their opinions to the candidates.

It seems that the Xbox 360 partnership will be promoted at both the Democratic and the Republican Conventions and candidates and parties will be encouraged to take into account the ideas and the comments promoted by the people using the gaming console.

According to Rock the Vote, there are about 12 million users of Xbox Live in the United States; if these users were to constitute a state, they would get about 20 electoral college votes and a large influence over the electoral process.

Heather Smith, executive director of Rock the Vote, said that "Xbox is a natural partner to help us reach out to youth voters. To realize our goal of registering 2 million young Americans by this fall, we need to go where young Americans are, and there's no doubt in our minds that many are on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live".

This electoral cycle is one in which young people seem to be especially active, after a period of time when they largely promoted an image of disinterest in politics.