"I was surprised at the overwhelming support we got from so many bands and so many punk rockers," he wrote. "I just put the word out there, and before you knew, we had this massive slew of bands, labels, zines, everybody."
In addition to encouraging people to register to vote, Jeg also stressed the need for the punk fan base to become active and informed in order to invoke change.
"We're new to this. We're really not political people," Jeg said. "This is really a first for a scene so rooted in anti-establishment mentalities."
Punk Voter, with its Rock Against Bush Vol. 1 and 2 compilations as well as the Rock Against Bush tour, does not shy away from criticizing the Republican incumbent. But Jeg said the organization is also focused on simply getting people to think about politics and how it affects their lives.
"There are a lot of punk rockers out there," Jeg said. "They can form a bloc of voters that legislators will have to recognize, and their needs and issues will have to be addressed."
Jeg said the site receives more than 500,000 hits a day and estimated that efforts on the Vans Warped Tour have registered more than 20,000 people: "We had a big presence on the 60-date tour with a Punk Voter booth."
He said Punk Voter workers signed up 300 to 400 young voters per day - sometimes as many as 900, as they did in Detroit.
Pat Thetic of the band Anti-Flag said the group was excited to be involved with Punk Voter from its beginning.
"We were in contact with Fat Mike when he started it," Thetic said. "We said we'd love to be involved. We are fans of getting out ideas."
On top of being featured on the Rock Against Bush Vol. 1 compilation, Anti-Flag recently wrapped up a stint on the Rock Against Bush tour.
"We're not just trying to win the election, we're trying to win the argument," Thetic said. "The current conservative thought is trying to take us backward, not forward. It's not just about this election, but elections in the future and local politics."
Specifically citing environmental degradation and its long-term ramifications, Thetic said there are important issues that are being decided by people who are "not us."
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"Bush and Kerry are both going be dead in 20 years,"
he said. "We're all going to be around for a lot longer than that."
Thetic said the efforts of Punk Voter, as well as other organizations such as Rock the Vote, Music for America and Slam Bush, are all valuable touchstones for people to use to educate themselves.
"Punk Voter is a resource for people to get involved, and it's definitely a time in history where people and their votes really matter."
Kaia Wilson of Durham-based punk band The Butchies said Punk Voter is a very effective tool of communication for voters.
"The Internet really makes it easier for people to get motivated and feel like they're a part of something," Wilson said.
Punk Voter organizers hope that feeling lasts longer than the next two weeks. After the election, Jeg said, the group will remain focused on expanding the scope of smaller, grassroots political efforts.
He cited the organization's support of longtime punk musician Jesse Townley, who is running for city council in Berkeley, Calif.
Jeg said Punk Voter is supportive of Townley and his efforts because his dedication to political activism reflects the kind of long-term involvement the group wants to encourage.
To support Townley, Punk Voter links to his Web site, http://www.townleyforcouncil.org. Whenever that site is highlighted on Punk Voter, Townley said, his campaign donations via PayPal increase.
"A lot of them have never dealt with politics before, and it's their first political contribution," Townley said. "It's very flattering."
Townley added that he has been working hard to go out and speak to many of the residents in his district.
"Identifying with a political figure is rare, and by talking to them, they have a chance to identify with me on a more personal level."
Townley said he is one of the individual endorsers of Punk Voter, and The Frisk, the band he's currently in, was one of the first groups to sign up for Rock Against Bush Vol. 1.
"The sales from the CDs and DVDs show a real hunger for more info that's not been filtered through the media outlet of your choice," he said, adding that while Punk Voter has an anti-Bush orientation, he believes in open debate and discussion.
"'Punk is a pretty open-ended term. I don't mind having conservatives involved, and they can't be denied a place at the table. I welcome talking to people, and I don't mind saying, 'Here I am, here's what I believe in, here's my e-mail.'"
Russ Rankin of the bands Good Riddance and Only Crime said such philosophies are key in attracting new voters. Both of Rankin's bands are members of Punk Voter.
"Voting can be intimidating. There are these personalities that kids may look up to, and in that aspect, it's a very important thing," Rankin said.
"There are people in the punk community with a lot of sway, and they're starting to talk."
Rankin said it's important to keep people educated about politics and their world, especially since he thinks the mainstream media doesn't do enough to inform people about candidates other than Bush and Kerry.
"The debates are a great example of the whole political landscape that bullies people into thinking they only have two choices," he said.
Rankin wrote a column for Amp magazine titled "Mid-Term Election Hangover" that discusses the media and its "scare tactics." Punk Voter asked him if it could run on the site, and he agreed.
Rankin said that while Punk Voter leans more to the left, he's a proponent of using the right to vote to voice one's own opinion for change.
"So many people are voting against what they hate instead of something they care about,"
he said. "My vote is too important to use it like that."
Punk fan or otherwise, there are a multitude of resources directed at participating in the elections and exercising the right to, as Chuck D once put it, bring the noise.
Wilson said that while bands have built-in forums to express their opinions, average people don't. That's why, she said, they need to view political participation as a way to make their voices carry.
"Voting is an expression of using your voice."
Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
