Overemphasis on registering to vote?

This election is soooo HUGE in the States right now! All of my family members have been shocked with the hieghtened emphasis everyone has placed on voting. I can't vote, but this is true democracy. As my grandfather says, "Finally, people are going through with their civic duties." Everywhere i look, there are billboards telling people to register to vote. I get asked if I'd like to register at the mall and random letters tell me where to register. Also, my economics teacher hands voter registration cards out to students as a gift for their 18th birthday. It's great to see such a great stress being put on voting(after all, it is a civic duty of Americans to vote), but are people possibly taking it too far?

I never considered this until one of my teachers led a class discussion on the topic. She talked about Jerry Falwell, a chancellor at Liberty University in Virginia. Apparently, he is totally putting a HUGE emphasis on voting. He is rallying for many students at the college, many of which may have right-wing tendencies, to register to vote. But not just register in their home states--he wants them to register in Virginia, a swing state important to the election outcome. This election is so important to him, that he has made special arrangements to cater to voting students. On election day, all classes will be cancelled and shuttle buses will be provided to and from voter centers.

Personally, I think the hype over voting is great. There's nothing more I hate than hearing people who didn't even bother voting, complain about who was elected. Anyway, what do you think? Is the emphasis to great? Is it interfering with everyday life?