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the mainstream media.
"We recruited public officials, attor-
neys and community and national lead-
ers to hear testimony from voters, poll
workers and election officials. We hired
videographers and court reporters to cre-
ate a public record of the proceedings."

AMY KAPLAN

City: Columbus, Ohio
Kudos: Rockin' The Vote

Amy Kaplan doesn't believe in sitting
around and complaining about America's
political system; instead she is taking action
to improve the electoral process so that all
voters have an equal opportuni t y to exercise
their rights.
Amy is the daughter ofDr Michael and
Nancy Kaplan and the sister of Dan
Kaplan, all ofWest Bloomfield. She gradu-
atedfrom the Residential College at the
University of Michigan in 2003, where she
majored in comparative literature and
American culture.
Last summer, Amy moved to Columbus,
Ohio, to work with the "League of Pissed
OffVoters,' a national organization com-
prised of 17- to 35-year-olds who want to
improve the democratic process. In Ohio,
Amy is involved in building a progressive
youth voting bloc to hold elected officials
accountable over the long term.
According to her mother, Amy's activism
comes from her maternal grandmother, the
late Pauline (Marvin) Federman of
Philadelphia, who was involved in peace
organizations throughout her lifetime.

What was the "Steps for Peace" walk
all about?
"While I was working as an intern for
progressive Democratic presidential can-
didate, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-
Ohio, I organized this walk in support
of his proposal to create a cabinet-level
U.S. Department of Peace. The walk

Amy Kaplan

began in Maine on Oct. 17, 2003, and
ended in San Francisco on Feb. 29,
2004. I personally walked 20 miles a
day, from Iowa to California.
"There were only five walkers, but
more than 1,000 people showed their
support by providing us with accommo-
dations and meals and sponsoring speak-
ing engagements along the way."

Why are you helping to organize public
hearings in Ohio following the 2004
presidential election?
"I wanted to bring to light
widespread voting irregularities that
affected people of color, young people
and those at poverty level. There were
several inequities that occurred, such
as a disproportionate number of
voting machines that resulted in three
to five-hour waits for inner-city resi-
dents, compared to 20- to 30-minute
waits in the wealthier suburbs.
These issues were largely ignored by

What outcome do you hope to see?
In December, we were invited to
present our findings at forums held by
the House Judiciary Committee in
Washington, D.C., and Columbus,
Ohio, called 'Preserving Democracy —
What Went Wrong in Ohio?'
"We hope this will result in a congres-
sional challenge to the outcome of the
election when the House and the Senate
meet to consider the electoral vote count
and improvements to various aspects of
the process for future elections."

What's next?
"This February, I begin a one-year
term with the Americorps VISTA
program in Columbus. I'll be working
with a local community organization,
called the Neighborhood Network, to
establish a public-access TV station,
develop a community technology
center and set up media production
training programs."

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