From a e-mail sent by Rock the Vote, the MTV-inspired group that, among other things, sent fake draft notices to young voters in 2004 suggesting that the Bush administration was on the verge of reinstating the draft. (The goal was to drum up votes for John Kerry.)

Now, they’re active on the Voter ID front. The text of the e-mail follows:

Friends,

With your help, we registered and turned out young voters in North Carolina, helping to increase turnout over the last midterm election and building on the momentum of the great turnout in 2008.? Now, just a few months after Election Day, the progress we’ve made is at risk. ?Today, a bill was introduced in the General Assembly that will impose?harsh new photo ID requirements. ?We anticipate that following this fight, we will see legislation that would eliminate same day registration and the ability for 16 and 17 year olds to pre-register to vote.?

We need your help to fight back.?

Fortunately, there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved. Here are some things you can do to help:

1. Show up at a public hearing in Raleigh on Tuesday: The House Elections Committee is holding a public hearing to talk about the photo ID bill next Tuesday. Anyone from the public can attend, learn more about the bill, ask questions, and provide testimony to the legislators. The hearing is next Tuesday, March 15 at 2:00 p.m. in the Legislative Office Building (room 643) in Raleigh.

We need you there! Common Cause will hold a quick training for all potential speakers between now and Monday so that you can be familiar with the proposed photo ID law. It is critical that we have a diverse student presence there, especially students who attend private colleges (because your student ID will NOT be accepted under this law).

If you are interested in testifying, please contact Tracy Leatherberry at Common Cause: [email protected] or 336-312-5196 . She will schedule a time to talk with you to give you more details about the bill and your testimony.

2. Phone banking: Thursday (TODAY!), March 10th from 5:15 to 8:30 p.m. at the offices of Democracy North Carolina (1821 Green Street in Durham)

We will be calling constituents of crucial lawmakers across the state, urging voters to contact these legislators and ask them to oppose the photo ID legislation. In the coming days, there will also be phone banks in Charlotte, Wilmington, and Raleigh. Contact me – [email protected] – for more information about those phone banks.

3. Contact your legislator: If you haven’t already, please use this form to contact your representatives in opposition to the photo ID bill: http://bit.ly/eFsgPG

4. Sign a letter to boards of trustees at private colleges and universities: If you are a student or leader at a private college or university in North Carolina, please let me know – at [email protected] – so we can connect you with these critical efforts. (Photo IDs from private schools in the state would not be acceptable ID at the polls.)

5. Spread the word! Forward this email to your friends. Update your Facebook status, urging people to get involved in one of the actions above. Tweet your opposition to photo ID and use the #NCGA hashtag. Every legislator is connected to updates from this hashtag, so make sure you take the opportunity to voice your opinion.

We are just getting started and I hope we can continue counting on you. I am looking forward to working with you to stop the war on voting in North Carolina.

Sincerely,

Eric Zoberman
Field Director, Rock the Vote

Committee members on Tuesday might want to ask any youngish people who oppose the voter ID bill if they’re simply regurgitating Common Cause talking points. Just a thought.