SPRINGFIELD, MO  [Friday May.7.2004]  /WMQT.com/ -- OutKast's Andre 3000 told The Atlanta Journal Constitution that he plans to vote in this November's election. Apparently, Andre's put off voting in the past. "Stuff came up," he said. "I was out of town, I couldn't see how my vote would matter. It just wasn't that important to me."

But now Andre says he has ""realized just how important it is," and he is helping to raise awareness among youth and motivate them to become politically active. Recently, he hosted an event for a national nonprofit group called "Declare Yourself." The organization is dedicated to reversing the trend of the declining youth vote.

"Sometimes entertainers -- movie stars and rappers -- have even more power than politicians. Sometimes all it takes is one or two people in the public eye to get people to vote," said Andre. "I'm really excited about voting for the first time."

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