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With political pundits predicting another close presidential race, partisan and non-partisan groups alike are organizing get-out-the-vote efforts aimed at young adults in battleground states such as Ohio and Michigan.

Voter registration booths manned by young political activists are popping up at movie theaters, concerts, and community fairs, as Democrats and Republicans are intent on spreading the same message: make your voice heard in the voting booth.

Both parties are trying to capture the nation's largest voting bloc. Comprised of about 43 million people between the ages of 18 and 30, young people account for 25 percent of the total electorate.

But a low voter turnout rate among young adults traditionally has prevented them from having a significant effect on election outcomes, something both parties are trying to capitalize on.

Wendy Mohr, 26, has voted in both presidential elections since she turned 18, but the fiscal analyst for Toledo Hospital understands why many of her peers choose not vote.

"They don't feel like it matters," she said. "I think some of them just want to leave it up to the rest of the people to decide."

In the last presidential election, 42 percent of U.S. citizens between the ages of 18 and 24 voted, while 70 percent of those ages 25 and older cast a ballot. Turnout rates among young adults in Ohio and Michigan were 42 percent and 44 percent, respectively, according to the University of Maryland think tank Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

David Engoren, who attends Ohio State University, is an independent who doesn't identify with either major party.
( THE BLADE/ALLAN DETRICH )

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If more young adults can be convinced to vote this year, their political voice could go from a whimper to a roar, but that's easier said than done, say voter registration workers. In 1972, the first election in which 18 year olds were allowed to vote, 55 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 24 cast a ballot. Since then young voter participation in presidential elections, has decreased by 13 percentage points.

Why the decline?

Evan Hutchison, director of the Ohio Young Voter Project, said many young adults who stay home on election day share a distrust or distaste for the

political process. They choose not to vote because they are turned off by partisan politics and don't believe that their votes will change business as usual in Washington, D.C.

To increase the group's turnout rates, young people need to be convinced their vote can make a difference, Mr. Hutchison said.

"It's a vicious cycle," he said. "They (politicians) don't care because we (young adults) don't vote and we don't vote because our issues aren't addressed."

Natalie Hastings, 20, feels ignored by this year's political candidates and doesn't plan to vote because she doesn't like John Kerry or George W. Bush. She thinks of their recent in-state appearances as sideshows in a "political circus."

"They don't appeal to us; they appeal to important people or workers' groups," said the University of Toledo international business student. "They are only showing their faces in Ohio because Ohio is one the big states to win."

Mr. Hutchison said his organization, the Young Voter Project, attempts to register reticent voters by focusing on campaign issues, not political hype.

The group is sponsored by 21st Century Democrats, a political action committee that hopes to increase Election Day turnout among young people voting Democrat.

Project workers plan to contact 1 million potential voters between the ages of 18 and 34.

Polls show younger voters are discouraged about the direction of the country and do not like the Bush administration.

A Zogby Interactive poll, conducted via the Internet July 6-10 among likely voters in Ohio, showed respondents age 18 to 29 favor Democratic challenger John Kerry of Massachusetts by a 65 percent to 33 percent margin. By comparison, older Ohio voters - those age 50 to 64 - favored Mr. Bush, 53 percent to 45 percent.

Asked how they felt things were going in the country, two out of every three respondents age 18 to 29 felt the United States was headed in the wrong direction. Just 32 percent said things were fine. Sixty-nine percent said it is time for a new president.

Poll results among young voters in Michigan are similar.

Exit polls of the 2000 presidential election show that those age 18-29 made up 17 percent of the electorate. Among those, Democrat Al Gore won a narrow plurality of the vote over Mr. Bush, 48 percent to 46 percent, while third-party candidate Ralph Nader won 5 percent. The Zogby polls show Mr. Bush will have to improve his current support in the age group dramatically to match his 2000 performance.

But although young adults may have opinions about the nation's leadership, many people under the age of 30 can't cast a ballot because they aren't registered voters.

In Ohio, Michigan, and most other states, people must register to vote at least 30 days prior to an election.

University of Toledo political science professor James Lindeen said that young people move frequently and often neglect to update their voter information when they enter a new community, contributing to low election participation by young adults.

"Young people are more likely to move between cities," he said. "It takes them a while to appreciate the local issues."

Older voters who own a home, have a mortgage, and are raising kids have put down roots in a community and more likely to vote, he said.

When young people do vote, they tend to base their decisions at the ballot box on issues and their impressions of individual candidates.

Young adults are less likely to be affiliated with a political party than any other group of voters. About half of all young voters identify themselves as independents, Mr. Lindeen said.

Although citizens who claim party loyalty are more likely to vote, he said that a lack of partisanship among young voters doesn't necessarily account for their low levels of participation.

Young people's negative perception of partisan politics may have been shaped in part by the social studies classes they took growing up, Mr. Lindeen said.

Another possibility is that the party platforms fail to reflect the ideas and ideals of the nation's young adults.

David Engoren, 20, a Toledoan who attends Ohio State University, is an independent registered voter who doesn't identify with either of the major parties.

"A lot of the time parties take dumb stances," said the 20-year-old. "And I don't want to say I'm a Democrat or a Republican because that generally means that you agree with where they stand on all the issues, and I don't."

When young adults do claim party affiliation, their choices often mirror the party loyalty of their parents, Mr. Lindeen said.

Other factors that may influence the partisanship of any voter, young or old, are race, sex, socioeconomic status, religion, and religious service attendance.

Young adults whose parents are registered voters may also be more likely to cast a ballot, he said. But this year, with so many young people claiming no party affilation, campaign organizers plan to reach the under-30 crowd with messages about their canidates as individuals-not partisans.

With Mr. Kerry and Mr. Bush running close in the polls, snaring the elusive young adult voting bloc could greatly improve the election day odds of either candidate. But campaign officials say they don't plan to engage in a "cool-contest" to win votes.

"A lot of people think you need to hoodwink young voters into joining your campaign," said Kevin Madden, regional spokesman with the Bush-Cheney campaign. "But you don't need gimmicks."

Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, young people have developed "a new sense of activism," he said. With more young adults embracing active roles in their communities, Mr. Madden expects to see an increase in the group's voter turnout rates.

He said campaign workers have found young voters to be educated about the issues, or at least willing to learn.

"One of the best things about young voters is that they are much more willing to digest hard information," he said.

Brendon Cull, communications director for the Ohio Democratic-coordinated campaign, also expects to see more fresh faces at the polls in November.

"The youth are interested and informed and see this election as important to their lives," he said, adding that young adults are looking for substance and straight talk from a candidate.

"To win the vote of young voters is not about trying to be cool," he said. "The most important thing we can do is to talk about what the issues are."

And voters like 27-year-old Dennis Sobecki are paying attention.

The University of Toledo education grad student said although he hasn't voted for seven or eight years, some of the administration's education policies, like the No Child Left Behind Act, have convinced him to cast a ballot in November.

"I want to get back to doing it," he said. "It's pretty important this year."

Contact Mary Stegmeir at: mstegmeir@theblade.com or 419-724-6050.

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