JESSICA ALBA “SILENCED” IN NEW AD FOR DECLARE YOURSELF

“Only You Can Silence Yourself” Aims to Mobilize 18-29 Year Olds to Vote

LOS ANGELES, CA  – October 2, 2008 – Actress Jessica Alba, wearing only a Hannibal Lecter-type mask called “The Muzzler” appeared in the newest image in Declare Yourself’s provocative campaign to compel young people to register and vote rather than “silencing themselves.” Declare Yourself, the national nonpartisan, nonprofit youth voter initiative aimed at energizing young adults to participate in the 2008 election, recently gained national media attention with an initial photo of Alba showing the actress silenced, and struggling against dramatic bindings. Both images were shot by renowned photographer Mark Liddell. They are available for download at www.DeclareYourself.com, and can be circulated virally; they will also be featured in national publications this fall.

“These images, while incredibly unsettling, are extremely compelling to today’s young adults,” said Marc Morgenstern, Declare Yourself Executive Director. “With less than 40 days left until the national election, we deliberately chose vivid and startling imagery to break through and underscore the grave consequences of not voting and in effect muzzling oneself.”

The “Only You Can Silence Yourself” campaign, which first appeared during the 2004 presidential race, communicates the importance of voting, reminding young Americans that only they can stop themselves from participating in democracy. Featuring a mix of “real people” and young celebrities, the unique spots are aimed at making those who see them stop, look, discuss, and, ultimately, become moved to participate. Previous campaigns starred Christina Aguilera and André Benjamin, and were created by David LaChapelle.

ABOUT DECLARE YOURSELF
Declare Yourself is a nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign aiming to empower every eligible American, 18-to-29 years old, to register to vote in the 2008 presidential election. Through the power of strategic media partnerships, celebrity spokespeople, retail outreach, sports and, most importantly, digital technology and social media, Declare Yourself has created a campaign that embraces the landscape of youth peer and popular culture with one key message: register and vote. Since 2004, declare yourself has registered more than two million young voters. It is currently registering tens of thousands of new voters each week.

In 2003, Declare Yourself launched its initiative with The Declaration of Independence Road Trip, a nationwide multimedia exhibit and tour of Norman Lear’s original copy of the Declaration. The document remains on tour, and appeared in both the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August and the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in September.

Led by Norman Lear, Declare Yourself has an advisory board of leaders from the political and media worlds including many influential figures with their fingers on the pulse of the 18-29 demographic, including NBC Entertainment/ NBC Universal Television Studio co-chairmen Ben Silverman, trend specialist Atoosa Rubenstein, online video expert James Kotecki, producer J.J. Abrams and television personality Tyra Banks. The Declare Yourself Advisory Board has the ability to spread the message of the organization to America’s youth. Corporate partners with Declare Yourself include Cricket, Yahoo!, MySpace, Google, AOL, Clear Channel, Comedy Central and American Eagle Outfitters.

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