Rock The Vote Goes Online

An effort to rally voters for the November elections is going online.

Rock the Vote, working with telecommunications giant MCI and the American Association of Retired Persons, launched an Internet voter registration effort Tuesday called "Rock the Ages."

A similar effort registered about 50,000 voters in 1996, but that campaign only targeted young voters. Organizers hope to register about 100,000 this year.

The process is simple. Americans just go to the web site, click on their state, and enter their information. A completed registration form is later mailed to them for their signature. Net surfers can also sign up to get messages to remind them to vote on Nov. 3.

"It's really something whose time has come, to be able to register online," said singer-guitarist Kevin Griffin of the band Better Than Ezra. The band was joined by actor William Baldwin and singer Vic Damone in promoting the web site.

Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn., who, at 28, is the youngest member of Congress, said, "Nothing is more frustrating than to hear members of our generation complain about the process."