Election on minds of young voters; technology feeding interest

LIMA - Nineteen-year-old Matt Wiseman is up on his presidential candidate. The Ohio Northern University student regularly gets e-mail updates from Barack Obama's campaign.

There isn't any question that 21-year-old Matt Ferguson supports John McCain. You just have to look at his Facebook page.

"I want to make sure all my friends know who I'm voting for, and I want them to ask me why," said Ferguson, who heads the College Republicans at Bluffton University.

The students are examples of an increased interest from young people in this year's presidential election, an interest complemented by today's technology.

The number of 18- to 29-year-olds following election news very closely this year is double that of 2000, according to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. The gap between younger and older voters who are giving a lot of thought to the election is smaller than ever.

Robert Alexander, a political science professor at Ohio Northern, cited stories written about the colleges possibly determining the vote in Ohio. He believes on the issue front, the war and economy are driving young participation. He also credits Obama's campaign for energizing young people.

"He looks so different from any other candidate we've had before. I think that is hugely important historically," he said. "Even going back to the primaries with the first female and African-American, I think that was hugely important to a lot of young people."

Bluffton University is one of 21 schools in Ohio to take part in a CBS poll on the election. Students were contacted via e-mail and asked questions related to their interest in the election, what they think of the candidates and what issues are important to them. The results will be released later this month.

Recent Gallop polls show that 57 percent of young people support Obama, while 37 percent support McCain.

Interest high among young people

Pew reports that 67 percent of young people say this campaign is more interesting, compared to 36 percent in 2004. It's common at area colleges to hear talk of politics.

ONU student Sheila Willamowski, 20, is glad to hear it, even if it is not always about her candidate, John McCain. The daughter of Judge John Willamowski, of the 3rd Ohio District Court of Appeals, said she had been disappointed about the lack of interest.

"I obviously came from a very political home, then I came to the big world of college and it was amazing how many people didn't care about these issues that I believed were so important to our future," she said. "So now to see them all talking about it, it feels really good to hear that."

The interest began to peak, Willamowski said, during the "pretty dramatic" primary season, specifically the race between Obama and Hillary Clinton. Even those not interested in politics wanted to watch.

"It is starting to get cool to know presidential politics. It is engrained in our popular culture," said OSU-Lima student Jered Slusher, 21.

Victoria Gonzalez, 23, sees Obama and McCain buttons worn by lots of classmates around the OSU-Lima/Rhodes State campus. Members of Student Senate, she and Slusher registered voters. It's been easy with students seeking them out.

"I know when I was 18, if my guidance counselor had not pulled me out and said, ‘Here is your opportunity to fill it out,' I wouldn't have registered. So for them to seek us out kind of says something," Gonzalez said.

Breanna Garrett and her Lima Senior High School classmates are also discussing politics. Still undecided, Garrett has never had an interest before, but is now watching debates, and tuning in on campaign commercials and news.

"It is so different. With other elections, it was kind of the same thing over again, no one really different," she said. "This time we have people searching for a change. It just grabs my attention. What happens is going to start affecting me."

On ONU's campus, Alexander said the Democrats are more organized than ever, while Republicans aren't as enthusiastic as in past years. The push by young Democrats has energized their Republican counterparts, Ferguson said.

"I have to give the Obama campaign credit. They are the ones that started the movement of the youth," he said. "But I think at the same time, the conservative youth saw that and said, ‘Hey wait a second, there is more to it than just young Barack Obama supporters. We are going to get out there and get our case out there as well.'"

The issues are too at the forefront, especially the economy and war. Bluffton University Democrats President Andrew Lehman, 21, said students know what's at stake.

"Maybe our parents have lost jobs, maybe our neighbor has lost their health insurance. Whatever it may be, we are definitely aware of the circumstances," he said. "It is scary to know that we are going to be graduating and we could very well end up in the same mess we're in now."

"You're seeing the same things as you saw around the Vietnam War," Wiseman said. "People are upset about the war, regardless whether they're for it or against it."

Technology's role

Technology has spiked young interest in the election. For one, the Internet has made it easier to keep informed.

"I can't necessarily sit down and watch the entire Republican or Democratic convention, but you can go on sites and re-watch it," Gonzalez said.

Forty-two percent of young people regularly learn about the campaign from the Internet, compared to 20 percent in 2004, the Pew Research Center reports. The Internet triggers people to do their own research, Wiseman said.

Twenty-six percent of 30- to 49-year-olds get information from the Internet, with the number dropping to 15 percent for those older than 40.

Thirty-seven percent have gotten campaign information from social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Just 4 percent of those in their 30s and 1 percent of those older than 40 are doing the same. One in 10 young people has signed up as a "friend" to one of the candidates on a site.

"They are trying to reach out to the younger crowd," Slusher said, citing the CNN YouTube primary debates. "A lot of young people are going on YouTube and looking up videos and using that as a platform to discuss politics."

The campaigns have certainly embraced the technology, although many say the Obama camp has done a better job. Lehman was one of those to receive the 3:12 a.m. text message when Obama picked Joe Biden as his running mate. He's on multiple political e-mail lists and both he and the College Democrats are on Facebook.

"We want to inform our students because a vote for Obama means nothing unless they know why they are voting for him," he said.

People know Willamowski keeps up on current election issues, so sometimes pose questions to her. She uses Facebook to help keep others informed.

Just as any teen or college student might list their interests and favorites on Facebook, so do the candidates. McCain's favorite television show is "Seinfeld." Obama likes the "Godfather" movies.

Alexander calls technology a double-edged sword, saying problems and false information can arise.

"On the Internet, everyone is an author," he said. "And that isn't necessarily the best thing in the world for especially young people who are just coming of age politically and just figuring things out and perhaps can't make those distinctions between ridiculous and truth."

Taking action

The College Democrats at Bluffton showed their Obama support during their recent Homecoming Parade. Volunteering is nothing new for Lehman, who has been canvassing for Obama in Lima. He is from Berne, Ind., but traveled to Van Wert during the last presidential election to volunteer for John Kerry.

"One of the reasons I chose Bluffton is because I know Ohio is a pertinent state to Democrats when it comes to presidential elections," he said.

Ferguson is helping out in the Lima Republican office, making phone calls and doing whatever is needed.

"I am frightened as to what would happen to our country if Barack Obama were to be elected, so I am willing to spend however many hours, make however many phone calls to make sure we elect a real American hero in John McCain and not just some propagandist in Barack Obama," he said.

Willamowski is campaigning for both McCain and local candidates. She recently placed signs for state Sen. Keith Faber. She makes sure students needing McCain signs get them, and keeps herself informed.

"I make sure I am updated on what's going on in the world. So when people come to me with questions, I can fill them in on what is going on," she said.

Wiseman has done some work for the Findlay and Kenton Obama offices. He is also volunteering for Democrat Richard Cordray's bid for Ohio attorney general. He met one of Cordray's staffers at the Democratic National Convention.

"It was one of the most exciting things I have ever done in my life," he said. "So many things I got to experience packed in a small amount of time."

There is also plenty of bipartisan work happening. College Democrats and Republicans in Bluffton are teaming up to do a campuswide debate. ONU students have held joint watch parties during the debates.

OSU-Lima's Student Senate is part of the Rock the Vote campaign and sponsored a meet and greet with local candidates.

"We want to encourage students as much as possible to make an informed vote, to know who the candidates are, so they know who they are voting for," Slusher said.

For many, the mere fact of casting a vote for president for the first time is exciting. Garrett will turn 18 two weeks before Election Day. Willamowski has voted before, but admits there is something different about a presidential vote.

"I am really honored to be able to vote in a presidential election," she said. "To get that little sticker after I cast my ballot."