A commercial featuring San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Steve Young will be released at the end of July, but it's not another Wheaties ad.
Young and Brighton High School senior quarterback Mitch Maio toss around a football in a commercial promoting the Utah First Vote program, a nonpartisan constitutional liberties organization.Maio was selected from about 35 high school senior quarterbacks for the part. He thought working with Young would be uncomfortable, but he said, "It was really fun."
Young appeals to the youth because he's single, young and "he's cool," Maio said.
Though only 17 years old, Maio thinks the Utah First Vote program is important because "kids should vote," he said. He plans to register to vote when he turns 18 in June.
To encourage young people to vote and become more involved in democracy, Lt. Gov. Olene Walker started the Utah First Vote program in 1995.
"We are trying to let people know that everyone's vote counts," said Missy Gillespie, program coordinator in the lieutenant governor's office, referring to the main message of the commercial. Although Young may throw more touchdowns and make more money, Maio's vote is just as important as the superstar's.
The commercial targets people 18 to 24 years old, Gillespie said, adding that it is "MTV in nature."
Only 40 percent of eligible voters in this age group vote, based on national voting records. The Utah First Vote program wants "every student to graduate from high school with a diploma in one hand and a voter registration card in the other."
Despite the requirements of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, many young people miss the opportunity to register to vote. The program is designed to increase voter registration and education.
High school teachers are provided materials and guides to implement program ideas.
The commercial is the first of a series that will be produced before the general election in November. The next ad will feature Capt. Scott O'Grady, who was shot down over Bosnia in June 1995.