First voter awareness month

As the focus moves away from the primary elections and towards the general election in November, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has kicked off the first Voter Awareness Month in an effort to get New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs more involved in the Democratic process.
&#8220Heroes like Medgar Evers and Andrew Goodman gave their lives in the struggle to make sure all Americans have the right to vote, but not enough New Yorkers take advantage of that right,” Bloomberg said. &#8220Voter Awareness Month is an unprecedented effort to extend participation in the most fundamental exercise of our freedoms.”
The events, which started September 14 and will continue through October 13, will take place in all five boroughs and will help to educate voters and encourage participation.
The Voter Awareness Month events in Queens are:
• On Wednesday, September 27, the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, The City University of New York, Latin American Culture Center and NYC Voter Assistance Commission will hold &#8220Citizenship Day” from 5 to 7 p.m. It will take place at the Jackson Heights Salvation Army at 86-07 35th Avenue and will include naturalization application assistance.
• A naturalization and swearing in ceremony for new citizens will take place on Friday, September 29, at LaGuardia Community College, which is located at 31-10 Thomson Avenue in Long Island City. The event, which is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., is being held by U.S. Department of Homeland Security, The City University of New York and the NYC Voter Assistance Commission.
• American Martyrs Catholic War Veterans Post 1772 will hold a voter registration drive on Saturday, October 7, at 6 p.m. at the American Martyrs Church, located at 79-43 Bell Boulevard in Bayside. They will hold a second one on Sunday, October 8, at the church from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Also on October 7, the Chinese American Voters Association will hold a voter registration drive from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. in front of Amerasia Bank, which is located at 41-06 Main Street in Flushing.
• A voting booth seminar will be held at the DeVry Institute of Technology, which is located at 30-200 Thomson Avenue in Long Island City, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information on Voter Awareness Month, call 3-1-1 or visit www.nyc.gov/voter.