They drive a pickup truck towing a patriotically painted trailer. They are a diverse group of idealists from all over the United States. They are hoping to change the face of American politics.

They’ll arrive in Lawrence tonight.

The Democracy Caravan is coming to town.

“We’re really hoping to find young people who want to get more actively involved in our democratic process,” said Ben Sher, one of the caravan’s organizers.

“We particularly like to go to university towns because we like to meet with students.”

He said American democracy was dominated by special interest groups and corporations, squeezing out the average American voter.

“We even find that a lot of the legislation that’s been written in the past 15 years has been written by corporate lobbyists,” Sher said.

He and other members of the nonpartisan group hope to create a “new democratic movement,” uniting advocacy groups and providing alternative information sources.

“There are lots of people who are passing information on the Internet and by e-mail that’s not mainstream,” Sher said. “There’s this growing force in shaping public opinion.”

The group plans a voter registration drive after 1 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot at Checkers Foods, 2300 La., as well as meetings with local political advocates.

“We hope to meet some folks who will stay in touch with us as we travel around the country and help us build this pro-democracy movement,” Sher said.

The stop in Lawrence is one of dozens during the caravan’s cross-country tour. The group started in California and passed through Arizona, Texas and New Mexico before arriving in Kansas.

The caravan also will stop in the Kansas City area to register voters and meet as many people as possible.

“We’re trying to get a little sense of hope that there can be some major changes in the way we operate our democracy,” Sher said.