King's widow pushes for voter registration

CLEVELAND - The widow of the Reverend Martin Luther King Junior called on blacks to register to vote this fall, saying that control of Congress hinges on their turnout. <br> <br> Coretta Scott King Tuesday asked black organizations to make voter registration a priority in hopes of increasing the number of voters registered by 20 percent. <br> <br> King told about 600 people during a luncheon at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference convention, ``If we don&#39;t turn it out on November fifth, the whole country will suffer and we will reap the worst of it.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> She expressed disappointment over what she described as a shortage of black officeholders in the United States, particularly females, before an audience that included Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Democratic REpresentative Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio, who represents the Cleveland area in Congress. <br> <br> King drew laughter and cheers when she said -- quote -- ``I know it&#39;s getting awfully lonely up there, sister Tubbs Jones.&#39;&#39; Tubbs Jones is one of 14 black women in the 435-member House. <br> <br> King said gaining more political power is essential to eliminating racial disparities in health care, education and housing. <br> <br> She also said voting privileges should be restored for former offenders who have been released from prison. <br> <br> Voter registration has been one of the dominant themes of the SCLC convention.