Campaign 2012: Voter Registration Drives Assume New Urgency

Across the United States, various groups — both partisan and nonpartisan — are encouraging eligible Americans to register to vote so they can make their voices heard in the upcoming elections.

Students at Clark Atlanta University fill out voter registration forms following a speech by civil rights icon Joseph Lowery at the school's convocation on September 18.

In a speech aimed at encouraging young people to vote, Lowery told students to step up, take responsibility, and carry on the ideals and morality that the civil rights movement displayed so many years ago. "The battle is in your hands," he said.

Many analysts believe the youth vote was a critical component of President Obama's victory in 2008.

Across the United States, various groups — both partisan and nonpartisan — are encouraging eligible Americans to register to vote so they can make their voices heard in the upcoming elections.

In the United States, elections are administered at the state level, and each state sets its own procedures and deadlines for voter registration. Some states allow voters to register, and vote, on Election Day, but most require some sort of advance registration that can be as much as 30 days before the polls open.