WASHINGTON, July 30 /EMWNews/ -- Anticipating the largest

voter turnout in history - and ensuing problems at the polls - the National

Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) hosted a three-day Operation

Big Vote Training Academy in New Orleans last week to train field

organizers on voter registration, education, mobilization, and voter

protection.



    "Our job is to make sure each voter has an opportunity to cast a ballot

that counts on November 4," executive director and CEO of the NCBCP,

Melanie L. Campbell, told over 60 community organizers from 14 states.

"This intensive training is designed to prepare us for any challenges that

may arise in the coming months."



    Lawyers, seasoned organizers, and technology experts conducted training

sessions that ranged from best practices in nonpartisan voter education,

volunteer recruitment, and voter protection, to integrating new technology

tools and minding your health during this rigorous campaign. Participants

also learned the capabilities of the NCBCP's voter information hotline, 1

866-MYVOTE -1.



    "Bringing together an intergenerational mix of public servants created

an opportunity for the seasoned veterans to teach the young people how to

mobilize on the ground, while the youth taught veterans how to organize

online," Campbell added.



    Sharon Hanshaw, executive director of Costal Women for Change in

Biloxi, MS, adds, "We will continue to registering new voters, however, the

larger focus of the Unity '08 Black Campaign is to make sure voters verify

their names on the voter rolls, locate their polling place in advance, and

know their rights at the polls before they go cast their ballot."



    Participants in the training represented a number of labor and

nonprofit organizations, including several executives from A. Philip

Randolph Institute, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, and local

affiliates of the National Urban League, all major Unity '08 Black Campaign

partners. Other partners include American Urban Radio Networks and

UniverSoul Circus.



    The NCBCP's Unity '08 Black Campaign is a non-partisan civic engagement

initiative designed to inoculate, motivate, and mobilize Black voters to

participate in the 2008 election.



    Founded in 1976, the NCBCP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization

dedicated to increasing African American participation in civil society.

Current initiatives include Operation Big Vote, Black Youth Vote!, Black

Women's Roundtable, and Voices of the Electorate. For more information call

202-659-4929 or visit http://www.ncbcp.org.