By Wayne Grayson and Charity Scott
The Crimson White
(*Note: This story ran last Wednesday in the Crimson White.)
With nine months left until America elects the next president, some UA students are already getting excited.
Some students said they think the state caucuses and primaries are just as important as the real thing, and they showed it as a steady stream of students flowed through the doors of the Student Recreation Center Tuesday.
The overwhelming sentiment among students interviewed was a deep belief in the importance of the college-aged vote and a desire to have their political opinions heard.
Brittni Robertson, a senior majoring in biology, said she thinks the youth vote is more important now than it has been in the past, and that is evident in how media channels such as MTV and CNN have been progressively gearing election coverage toward the college age group.
Robertson said she came out to vote because it would be a waste not to.
"I just wanted to exercise my right to [vote] because it's a privilege that shouldn't be taken for granted," she said.
Daniel Gaffney, a junior majoring in biological sciences, said college-aged voters should be highly valued.
"I would hope that people understand that [our vote] does count, because we are the future," he said.
Spreading the word
Jennifer Greer, associate professor and chairwoman of the journalism department, said taking advantage of the Internet is helping candidates reach out to younger voters.
Many of the candidates have gone beyond basic Web sites in their online campaigns, she said.
"When candidates first went online, they had little more than a stagnant Web site with a glossy picture and platform statement," she said. "Before, it was mainly one-way communication. Now it's becoming more interactive."
Young voters are going to hold sway on the outcome of both the primaries and the general election, Greer said.
"I think they are going to impact turnout," she said. "Candidates are now going to the places where students congregate online."
Amongst these Web sites are www.myspace.com, www.facebook.com, and www.youtube.com. All of the main candidates have used at least one of these forums in their campaign.
In fact, some students have been expressing their political fervor through their Facebook status updates, with one student urging others to "Google Ron Paul," and another claiming to be "Huckacited."
One of the candidates most dependent on the youth vote is Rep. Ron Paul.
According to Matt Chancey, the Southeast regional coordinator for the Paul campaign, the largest group of Paul supporters is made-up of people under 30-years-old.
"There's a lot of Ron Paul workers working their tails off and they're not even old enough to vote," Chancey said.
Chancey attributes Paul's young support base to the way the campaign is based on "outside of the box" ideas and a strong online spread of information on the candidate.
"It's inspirational for a young person to see a leader who's leading and not pandering," he said. "For a young person to see someone who is 72-years-old and a seasoned statesman and is still as enthusiastic as they are - it's inspiring," Chancey said.
Sen. Barack Obama also holds a large block of college-aged supporters that continues to grow.
Obama supporter Alex Flachsbart, a junior majoring in political science, said the Obama campaign is largely a grassroots one, focused on building a wide base of support nationwide.
"From day one we were trying to draw young people," he said. "It has worked because Sen. Obama has catalyzed the movement for change."
He said the local campaign office has tried to engage students through phone calls, going door-to-door to speak with potential voters, holding interest meetings, posting fliers, chalking on campus and passing out information.
"College students have been the backbone of the Obama campaign from the start," he said. "He is the first one to say college students have the ability and the obligation to get involved. He is the first person in 50 years to reach out to us and engage us."
Ben Foster, a junior majoring in telecommunication and film, is a supporter of Sen. John McCain and said resource constraints have impacted the local campaign and its ability to reach students.
"Honestly, we haven't had a lot of student involvement," he said. "We have been trying to push a grassroots effort and do the small things."
He said they have focused on informing people as well as getting McCain's name out there through bumper stickers, Facebook messages and yard signs.
"We've suddenly been getting an attention surge in the past month, and that's very exciting for us," he said. "We're getting help from Sen. McCain's success in other states."
He said he thinks a lot of students are excited about McCain and his platform.
"The Democrats don't have a monopoly on change," he said. "Students are ready to contribute."
Jackson McClendon, a supporter of Gov. Mitt Romney, said after meeting Romney through a family friend he decided to get involved.
"He has a genuine and very fierce work ethic, and a solid platform," he said.
Besides rallies, McClendon said the campaign has distributed a lot of information to let students know where Romney stands on the issues. He said they have not focused on the youth vote as much as other campaigns.
"The majority [of students] are pretty much indifferent," he said. "Some are choosing the candidates at face value, and some are zealously backing their candidates."
Al-Obama
Despite all the candidates' work, according to uwire.com, students across the nation have heard the message of Obama most clearly, reporting him as sharing with McCain a majority of the endorsements from college student newspapers associated with the Web site.
That report translated to the University. Out of 27 students interviewed, 14 said they cast their ballots for Obama, with Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul tied for a distant second, with four votes each.
Rebecca Kaplan, a junior majoring in fashion design, said she voted for Obama because his plans fit her personal beliefs well.
"I voted for Obama because I want to get out of Iraq," Kaplan said. "I like all of his plans. You can just trust him. I don't think you can trust anything with Hillary [Clinton], who voted for the war. I'd rather vote for someone who has been right from the beginning."
Bonnie Stith, a senior in New College, said that she voted for Obama because he has not spent as much time in politics as Clinton.
"It's really difficult for me to think that 35 years of Hillary's experience means that there hasn't been 35 years of corruption," she said.
Martha Gravlee and uwire.com also contributed to this story.
Some students said they think the state caucuses and primaries are just as important as the real thing, and they showed it as a steady stream of students flowed through the doors of the Student Recreation Center Tuesday.
The overwhelming sentiment among students interviewed was a deep belief in the importance of the college-aged vote and a desire to have their political opinions heard.
Brittni Robertson, a senior majoring in biology, said she thinks the youth vote is more important now than it has been in the past, and that is evident in how media channels such as MTV and CNN have been progressively gearing election coverage toward the college age group.
Robertson said she came out to vote because it would be a waste not to.
"I just wanted to exercise my right to [vote] because it's a privilege that shouldn't be taken for granted," she said.
Daniel Gaffney, a junior majoring in biological sciences, said college-aged voters should be highly valued.
"I would hope that people understand that [our vote] does count, because we are the future," he said.
Spreading the word
Jennifer Greer, associate professor and chairwoman of the journalism department, said taking advantage of the Internet is helping candidates reach out to younger voters.
Many of the candidates have gone beyond basic Web sites in their online campaigns, she said.
"When candidates first went online, they had little more than a stagnant Web site with a glossy picture and platform statement," she said. "Before, it was mainly one-way communication. Now it's becoming more interactive."
Young voters are going to hold sway on the outcome of both the primaries and the general election, Greer said.
"I think they are going to impact turnout," she said. "Candidates are now going to the places where students congregate online."
Amongst these Web sites are www.myspace.com, www.facebook.com, and www.youtube.com. All of the main candidates have used at least one of these forums in their campaign.
In fact, some students have been expressing their political fervor through their Facebook status updates, with one student urging others to "Google Ron Paul," and another claiming to be "Huckacited."
One of the candidates most dependent on the youth vote is Rep. Ron Paul.
According to Matt Chancey, the Southeast regional coordinator for the Paul campaign, the largest group of Paul supporters is made-up of people under 30-years-old.
"There's a lot of Ron Paul workers working their tails off and they're not even old enough to vote," Chancey said.
Chancey attributes Paul's young support base to the way the campaign is based on "outside of the box" ideas and a strong online spread of information on the candidate.
"It's inspirational for a young person to see a leader who's leading and not pandering," he said. "For a young person to see someone who is 72-years-old and a seasoned statesman and is still as enthusiastic as they are - it's inspiring," Chancey said.
Sen. Barack Obama also holds a large block of college-aged supporters that continues to grow.
Obama supporter Alex Flachsbart, a junior majoring in political science, said the Obama campaign is largely a grassroots one, focused on building a wide base of support nationwide.
"From day one we were trying to draw young people," he said. "It has worked because Sen. Obama has catalyzed the movement for change."
He said the local campaign office has tried to engage students through phone calls, going door-to-door to speak with potential voters, holding interest meetings, posting fliers, chalking on campus and passing out information.
"College students have been the backbone of the Obama campaign from the start," he said. "He is the first one to say college students have the ability and the obligation to get involved. He is the first person in 50 years to reach out to us and engage us."
Ben Foster, a junior majoring in telecommunication and film, is a supporter of Sen. John McCain and said resource constraints have impacted the local campaign and its ability to reach students.
"Honestly, we haven't had a lot of student involvement," he said. "We have been trying to push a grassroots effort and do the small things."
He said they have focused on informing people as well as getting McCain's name out there through bumper stickers, Facebook messages and yard signs.
"We've suddenly been getting an attention surge in the past month, and that's very exciting for us," he said. "We're getting help from Sen. McCain's success in other states."
He said he thinks a lot of students are excited about McCain and his platform.
"The Democrats don't have a monopoly on change," he said. "Students are ready to contribute."
Jackson McClendon, a supporter of Gov. Mitt Romney, said after meeting Romney through a family friend he decided to get involved.
"He has a genuine and very fierce work ethic, and a solid platform," he said.
Besides rallies, McClendon said the campaign has distributed a lot of information to let students know where Romney stands on the issues. He said they have not focused on the youth vote as much as other campaigns.
"The majority [of students] are pretty much indifferent," he said. "Some are choosing the candidates at face value, and some are zealously backing their candidates."
Al-Obama
Despite all the candidates' work, according to uwire.com, students across the nation have heard the message of Obama most clearly, reporting him as sharing with McCain a majority of the endorsements from college student newspapers associated with the Web site.
That report translated to the University. Out of 27 students interviewed, 14 said they cast their ballots for Obama, with Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul tied for a distant second, with four votes each.
Rebecca Kaplan, a junior majoring in fashion design, said she voted for Obama because his plans fit her personal beliefs well.
"I voted for Obama because I want to get out of Iraq," Kaplan said. "I like all of his plans. You can just trust him. I don't think you can trust anything with Hillary [Clinton], who voted for the war. I'd rather vote for someone who has been right from the beginning."
Bonnie Stith, a senior in New College, said that she voted for Obama because he has not spent as much time in politics as Clinton.
"It's really difficult for me to think that 35 years of Hillary's experience means that there hasn't been 35 years of corruption," she said.
Martha Gravlee and uwire.com also contributed to this story.
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