Youth strive to make their voices heard this election year

By Alexandra Lichtenstein

Teen correspondent

YOUNG ADULTS have been a highly sought, but often stubborn, demographic in recent presidential elections.

Huge national movements have aimed at getting young people to get out there and take a political stand - remember Rock the Vote?

But suddenly, in the 2008 race for the White House, a change: It is now the youth who are striving to make their voices heard. In an already radical presidential race, teens and twentysomethings have turned one more thing upside down - and it may be the most important change of all.

According to CNN, the number of young voters on Super Tuesday "tripled, even quadrupled" from past years, with turnout especially high among college-age students in the primary states.

It has been preached by analysts for years that the youth vote, if tapped, could be the key to winning an election, not just for the sheer number of votes but for the energy and passion that young people often bring to a campaign.

For many teens, Barack Obama, the Democrats' presidential hopeful, has been a catalyst. The Illinois senator commands strong support among the young-adult demographic.

The New York Times reported recently that "Mr. Obama has clearly struck a chord among younger voters. And his campaign has made what seems to be the most sophisticated effort of any of the Democrats to reach out to them."

According to MSNBC.com, it was undoubtedly "the Obama campaign's emphasis on campaigning among college students and young voters" that won him many of his crucial states, like Iowa.

Other candidates, such as Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, tried to lasso that resource. They reached out to teens through online videos and detailed Web sites. Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has played up his image as a man who walks his own walk in Washington. But Obama's supporters created a youth buzz that was hard to match.

Voters like "Obama Girl," who created a viral Internet video singing about how she had a "crush on Obama" have created a spirit of "Obamamania" so powerful that even some politically disinterested teens have gone with the flow and are supporting him.

Such a wave can make teen supporters of other candidates feel leery about sharing their political leanings, and, in some cases, they report being discriminated against.

"I feel kind of left out when my friends talk about politics," said Katie White, a rising sophomore at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach. "They are so enthusiastic about Barack Obama, I was almost afraid to tell them I liked McCain."

One other potentially teen-friendly candidate tried to enter the campaign.

Stephen Colbert, a political satirist whose Comedy Central show, "The Colbert Report," is a hit among teens and young adults, announced his candidacy last October, but was denied a spot on the ballot by the South Carolina Democratic Party. Colbert's support centered on voters ages 18 to 29, who were also more likely to have seen his show.

"People learn about politics from Colbert's show," said Brian Armstrong, a Princess Anne rising sophomore.

"It certainly increases kids' political knowledge and interest," said Dominic Melito, a government teacher at Kellam High School in Virginia Beach. "I'm certainly not surprised that they would vote for him if they watch his show; they trust him and know him more than any of the other candidates."

With the presidential election picking up speed to the November finish line, it may come down to the youth vote. A study in USA Today reports that 62 percent of college students say they plan to vote this year, compared with 50 percent four years ago.

In this year of election firsts - the first viable black and female presidential candidates, and a man who would be the oldest first-term president - teens are also blazing a new trail in making their voices known. This year, it may be young adults who decide the course of history.

Alexandra Lichtenstein, a rising sophomore at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, jerseygirl1993@verizon.net