AIDS organizations launch absentee ballot drive (13503)

A coalition of national AIDS organizations this week announced the launch of a major absentee ballot drive aimed at helping HIV-positive people and those concerned about AIDS issues to vote in the upcoming national election. The initiative--organized by the National Association of People With AIDS, Housing Works, Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project, AIDSVote.org, and Poz magazine--allows voters from any state to request an absentee ballot, register to vote, or change their voting address online.

"People with HIV/AIDS are all too aware how politics affects our lives directly, because day-to-day survival can depend on access to medication and housing supported by federal funding," says Terje Anderson, executive director of NAPWA. "But the reality of living with HIV is that sometimes our health can interfere with our ability to make it to the polls." Charles King, president and CEO of New York City's Housing Works, says the ballot initiative will help "anyone who thinks that they might not be able to vote due to drug side effects, a medical appointment or hospitalization, limited mobility, fatigue, or lack of access to transportation."

Voters seeking absentee ballots can log onto the Poz magazine Web site at www.poz.com and fill out a questionnaire based on their state of residence. A completed absentee ballot request form and customized envelope are then generated that can be printed and either mailed into the state election office or dropped off locally. People not yet registered to vote or who need to change their voting address can also do so through the Web site.