A new nonprofit is "seeking partnerships with racing giants like NASCAR and support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in an effort that political strategists say could increase GOP voter turnout," according to Kellan Howell of the WASHINGTON TIMES. The campaign, called “Rev the Vote,” originally launched during the '14 election cycle as a "nonpartisan campaign to engage a passionate racing fan base in the political arena." The campaign is "modeled after MTV’s hugely successful 'Rock the Vote' effort." Although the campaign "never made it across the finish line in the last cycle, organizers are gearing up for an even bigger launch this year and have already recruited two former congressmen" -- Reps. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) -- for the BOD. Political strategists say that “Rev the Vote” if successful could "make a difference in swing states like Florida, targeting a mostly conservative motor sports fan base in a state where Republican voters stayed at home in the last presidential election." When asked if the Chamber would partner with “Rev the Vote” again in '16, a spokesperson said that the organization was working on it but "wasn’t ready to announce anything 'quite yet.'" A NASCAR spokesperson said that the governing body "did not have an official partnership with the campaign but is looking into the 'Rev the Vote' initiative" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 4/13).
