I think it’s a great idea. I’m not an American myself (I’m from Belgium) but I think it’s very important that the elections of the US gets more attention. After all, it’s about politics which influence the whole world. No offense to all (republican) Americans here, but another 4 years under a republican president like Bush would be a disaster for the world peace (that is, if we can still speak of something like that). From what I heard I know that the news on many American tv-stations is been manipulated as it comes on the Irac-policy. If you see what the republican presidents for the last 30 years have done, you see a lot of wars and scandals. (think of Nixon and the Vietnam war, the Watergate scandal, Bush sr and The Gulf War). And if you see what Bill Clinton, a democrate, did with his negotiations between the Palestine and Israel, that’s something to be proud of I think. So please register and vote for change, after 8 years war on terrorism I think the time is there.

@ David: it’s not forbidden to express your political ideas, that’s what they call freedom of speech (isn’t that one of the most important statements in your Declaration of Independence from 1776?). Anyway, I hope that in November, it’ll be a fair contest and that the US chooses wisely.

I think it’s interesting to read the comments from people from other countries. It gives us an idea of how Americans are viewed by the rest of the world. Thank you all for your observations.

Hmm… I’m gonna stay out of political discussions, because I could get into it.

WOW!! this will get the blood boiling won’t it? as an Australian who is MADE to vote, i think voting is a GREAT IDEA.

we Aussies ae lazy and apathetic at the best of times (it’s the weather), so our government makes us vote. if we don’t vote, we get fined. I think it’s a great system. ALL voices should be heard. As a citizen, you should be taking part in the democratic process, by electing those who mean to govern you.

The more that vote the better – the Aussie govt makes sure it get all our voices, even if they do have to forceably kick us out of the house on a saturday to do it.

You may hate voting. You may LOATHE voting. But your voice SHOULD BE HEARD. we hae a responsibility to take some part in how our own contry runs and. By the same token, i feel everyone deserves the right – 16 year olds (who can pay tax, get conscripted and drive cars, but can’t vote), copnvicted felons – whoever – as many people as possible should participate!!!

As a “bitter, white, outrageously poor, working-class” American woman raised by social activists, I hate to say but it really isn’t arrogant to say our election goes way beyond our borders – it’s realistic and pragmatic. On the other, more self-indulgent side of the coin, this bitter, white, outrageously poor, working-class American woman was also raised by social activists. Mom, having marched with Dr. King, fought for women’s rights and risked life and liberty to sneak young men into Canada to avoid forced conscription into a war not of their choosing, died this Spring knowing there’s as much chance as not that our next president will be black or female (issues, stance and background of said candidates not withstanding).

That said, here’s hoping this movement gets yet more people registered and involved in the political process and that these folks will take an honest look at the issues instead of just voting for (or against) gender, color, religion, or what our peers/families/pastors intimidate us into voting for.

And for all of our sakes, if your precinct uses Diebold electronic voting machines, consider filling out a paper absentee ballot instead so there’s a better chance it will be counted accurately. My cat can hack into Diebold’s Micro$oft Access database and give Ohio a 104% voter turnout like last time.

;-)

I’m in the youngest of the demographic when it comes to voting (this is actually my second time though, I love it!) and I think that any program that tries to get more and more individuals out there to vote, I am all for it.

And to suggest there is a political agenda is preposterous. There are more and more programs out there now to try and get younger individuals to vote. There were people on my college campus asking people to register, MTV has a program (the original, Rock the Vote). It’s all geared to make the younger generation not only want to vote, but aware of the issues that are being raised. I think these programs are fantastic. My first year of college my roommate voted for the candidate whom she felt “had the coolest name”. What kind of crazy idea is that?! Not only is that a ridiculous useless vote, but why bother voting if you really don’t care?

I think having the ability for individuals to sign up to vote at concerts is the smartest thing. No one is going to be standing there telling you “If you sign up to vote here you MUST vote for McCain/Obama”. They just want you to vote and become aware and that is awesome to me. If everyone was aware and voted than we would solve so many more problems in the world than any one could ever imagine.

I fully plan on voting in November. I’m proud to vote. I’ve been following the elections for a very long time now. I know the issues and even still, I’m having a hard time deciding who I want to vote for (the individual I voted for in the primaries is not the person who has been chosen for the party). But I’m still going to vote. Because my voice and my opinion matters. And I think everyone who goes to a Wizard Wrock concert this summer and is of age should take the time to sign up to vote if they haven’t already and take a few minutes each week to read about the issues. They are really interesting and enlightening.

And look at that – I made a strong opinionated statement for wanting this – without boasting for one candidate or another or even stating which party I belong to. See? Political Agenda Free.

Superb Idea. I love the HP Alliance. Ive been part of it for a while now. xxx

im happy that the harry potter fandom can have people on both sides, it shows how diverse we are. oh also, (this is to t-vey) i beleive you misunderstood what giselle was saying. you are actually on the same side i believe

THIS IS SO NOT FAIR, ALL THE CONCERTS IS IN THE UNITED STATES OF America.. _

(im not saying anything to offend or hurt you)

The part of this that leapt out at me, as with the original speech, was the assertion that the US is the world’s only remaining superpower. Do China (largest population, fastest growing economy) and Russia (resource rich at a time when OPEC’s supplies seem to be running out) not count?

What a great idea! And clearly I think you’re an idiot if you think this is Americans just being arrogant, that’s ridiculous. Whether you like it or not who they vote to be president has a wide effect over many parts of the world, the last 8 years has certainly shown us that. I think voting is always better than apathy and whoever people vote for I just hope they have seriously thought about the candidate and not whether they are just Republican or Democratic. cough vote Obama :D

Please don’t vote if you’re not informed on the issues. I’d rather have a smaller electorate that is informed and making a choice they’ve logically made versus a larger, more ignorant electorate that votes based on any sort of movement or other similar things. That doesn’t mean don’t vote, just make sure you’re informed before voting or do our country a favor and stay home.

What a great idea!

EVERYONE should vote. It’s your right and it’s your chance to voice your opinion. Think about all the people in the world who live in a country where it’s imbossible for them to try and make a change. All of us in the west should realize how privlidged we are when we have freedom of speech and the right to vote.

That being said, it’s also your duty to get all the information of all the candidates rather than just picking someone who ‘seems nice’ because that’s not the proper way to use your vote.

I live in Finland and the US presidential election gets a lot of attention here since this election really has influence beyond your the US borders… Think about stuff like climate change.

(Bush is EXTREMELY unpopular in here.)

Could someone please point out to me the exact HPA page that shows there political agenda? I went to there website and couldn’t find anything that says vote for this candidate or this party.

@ JoJerome

104%, really? It’s a little sad that I didn’t know this beforehand considering I LIVE in Ohio. I’ve been becoming more politically aware, I swear!

@Helena123- I’m pretty sure Bush is unpopular everywhere :)

I think it’s interesting how Australians have to vote, and that seems like it would be really affective. However, silence is also a form a free speech and can have powerful impacts. Of course, that doesn’t work so well when 50% or so of the country stay silent because they’re just to lazy to go vote…

I’ve read a few comments on here about their “bias political agenda” and how sad it is they don’t have multiple points of view. But reading the HP Alliance web page the main points they want to work at are “Genocide, Poverty, AIDS, and Global Warming”, they are against discrimination, they are against the use of torture, and are for originality, love and creativity. Perhaps those issues may be more addressed by certain political parties, but these are global issues that could be addressed by many political parties, in many different countries.

I don’t think you can have a “balanced agenda with other viewpoints” on issues like these. If your organization is against genocide, poverty, and torture, I wouldn’t expect to see an argument on the other side of the coin. Most of these are global human rights issues or world problems that need to be addressed. If the country you live in only has one political party addressing these issues, then it’s kind of sad because it’s something everyone should consider.

I don’t think it’s shameless use of Harry Potter to “tack on a political agenda” because the underlying message of Harry Potter is Love, Equality, and doing the right thing even if it’s hard or unpopular to do. That seems to be what this group is pushing for, and that’s admriable and something people from all political affiliations should really consider. I mean, who’s Pro-genocide? Who’s Pro-Poverty? Who’s Pro-Aids? Maybe some people are, but I doubt they’re really hanging out on the HP boards because I’ve never met a kinder group of people than HP people. You can be a liberal and support these views, and you can be a conservative and support these views. With these subjects it really should just be a difference in the route to take, but not the destination. We’re more alike than we are different, and that’s my two cents.