Washington, DC -With voter registration deadlines approaching in many states, SEIU members arepounding the pavement, working the phones, and pulling out all the stops tohelp register tens of thousands of new voters - and make sure they getout to vote on November 4^th for Barack Obama and a pro-workingfamily Congress.

"In many states, this election could be decided byjust thousands, even hundreds of votes," said SEIU Secretary-TreasurerAnna Burger.  "SEIU members are making sure that everyone who can vote isregistered, and everyone who is registered gets to the polls on Election Day. We're leaving no stone unturned."

Over 1,000 SEIU members are working full time on theelection, and over 100,000 nurses, janitors, child care providers, and otherworkers are volunteering after work and on weekends to win on Election Day.  SinceAugust, these members have registered over 70,000 new voters, with more to comebefore registration deadlines close in the coming weeks.

"This has changed who I am," said MoniqueRiddick, a professional growth consultant and SEIU member who has beenvolunteering her time on the weekends to knock on doors in Virginia. 

Recently, Monique registered a 73 year-old woman and a 23year old - neither of whom had ever voted before, but who were ready tovote for change in November.  Monique's own 18 year-old son, who hadpreviously decided against voting, changed his mind when his mother told him ofan 18 year-old man she met in Norfolkwho had just enlisted in the Navy. He was proud to be serving his country and wasthrilled to have the opportunity to vote for Obama before he heads overseas.After hearing this story, Monique's son registered to vote.

Beginning this week, Monique and her fellow SEIU memberswill get a new influx of support, as seventy-five percent of SEIU'sInternational staff hits the ground in battleground state to help registervoters, talk to fellow union members, recruit volunteers, and educate votersabout what's at stake for working families in the upcoming election.

"

###