Election gaining youth interest

Adam Gohn and Matt Heisserer have had doors slammed in their faces and insults hurled at them. Ken Griffin has had people threaten to call the police on him. Lauren Robb has been stiffed on tips as a waitress when she mentions her political affiliation.

All four Southeast Missouri State University students volunteer with the campaign for Sen. Barack Obama and have experienced a mixed reception.

"This region isn't particularly Democratic -- as we have found out," Griffin said dryly. He knows the Republican stronghold he is working in. In 2004, 68.9 percent of Cape Girardeau County voters chose George W. Bush.

Yet the students are showing stronger organization and presence on campus than College Democrats adviser Dr. Rick Althaus has seen in years. Debates are spilling out of class and into dorm rooms and an emanating energy is replacing previously "disheartened" Democrats, he said.

Across the country, Democratic and Republican youth alike are showing heightened interest. Three times more Missourians aged 18 to 29 voted in the 2008 presidential primary than in the 2000 primary -- 21 percent versus 7 percent, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement.

Time Magazine has even dubbed 2008 the "Year of the Youth Vote" and noted Missouri is being closely watched. "The Show-Me State has voted for the winner in 25 of the past 26 [presidential] elections," David Von Drehle wrote in a Jan. 31 article.

Students are attending political meetings, hosting convention watching parties, going door to door to recruit support, stumping at parades, making phone calls, and helping register voters in droves. Experts say the historic nature of the candidates and pressing issues are triggering the support.

"Whoever is elected is going to directly affect us. We're going to be the working class," 20-year-old Robb said. Raised a Republican, she decided to switch affiliations when she reached high school and began studying the issues. November will be her first chance to vote in a presidential election.

Reaching young voters

An August survey by the Pew Research Center showed that nationally 58 percent of voters aged 18 to 29 support Obama and 34 percent support John McCain. Results were much closer for total voters -- 46 to 43 percent, with Obama in the lead. Candidates are courting youth using social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace.

Many young voters are concerned about the environment, a shaky economy and the war in Iraq, said Gohn, a 25-year-old philosophy major. The war in particular strikes home with young people, Althaus said.

"A lot of people our age realize our generation is going to have to be the ones to stand up to make a change," Heisserer said.

Lucas Presson, president of the College Republicans at Southeast, said high gas prices and the need for more oil are top issues. At the university's welcome back picnic, the organization gave away $250 in gas cash cards with the message that the next president should push for more drilling.

"Everyone says this is the election of a lifetime and it really is," said Tina Hervey, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Republican Party, via phone from the Republican National Convention. Hervey pointed to the Republicans' lack of an incumbent and the Democrats' candidate being the first black man to run for the highest office as adding to the historic quality and importance of the race.

Presson is quick to point out that Democratic youth aren't the only ones excited about their candidate. "There could be a misconception that all the young people are only for Obama. There are a lot of young folks out there that see the need of sending McCain to Washington," Presson said.

Local support

The choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as the vice president candidate has added to the excitement, he said, and is helping attract female voters.

Despite a heavy Republican presence in the area, College Republican adviser Dr. Dean Monahan said Republicans can't "take anything for granted." A "Victory" office has been established at 400 Broadway and is the base for campaigning in Cape Girardeau. Democrats have established an Obama office at 821 Broadway.

The number of local volunteers for either party is uncertain. Presson said the College Republicans had 280 students last year that participated in varying degrees, while Monahan said there are about 100 College Republicans on the group's e-mail list and that 22 people attended the group's last meeting. Althaus said the College Democrats have about 100 members.

The College Republicans have worked to raise their profile the last two years and were named the state Chapter of the Year Award last year.

Southeast's College Democrats know they are outnumbered, but are celebrating every success. One of their goals is to dispel misconceptions about Obama, which workers said is achieved most effectively through personal communication. Griffin recently explained Obama's ethnicity and religious beliefs to a voter. "She was swearing up and down he was Muslim," Griffin said.

The next two months are crucial in convincing those who are on the fence, he said.

"It's going to be a great battle for Independents, a great battle for turnout, and a great battle for ideas," Hervey said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

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