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February 2, 2008

Young voters choose to back Obama

By Mark Bennett

Marshall, Ill. — Some are biased.

Others haven’t made up their minds.

Many admit their opinions are superficial.

In other words, they’re just like millions of Americans.

Almost.

For the over-30 population, the process of choosing a president often hinges upon the candidates’ experience, their records, their past.

To students in Ryan Cox’s civics/economics classes at Marshall High School, Tuesday’s Illinois primary and the November election are about the future. And when it comes to the future, teenagers naturally have more at stake than their elders.

Age matters.

Their interest in Democrat frontrunner Barack Obama makes that point clear. A majority of the juniors in Cox’s two morning classes say they’re considering Obama as their choice to be the next president. His youthful appearance appeals to many of them. Some like Obama’s ideas. Most are unconcerned that he’s a mere 46 years old and only in his first term as Illinois’ junior U.S. senator.

“He may seem inexperienced because of his age, which may be a turnoff to old people,” said class member Andrew Murphy. “But I think he’s going to be very presentable to young people.”

Obama’s popularity isn’t unanimous in those two classes. “I don’t think he has enough experience to be president,” said Samm Sweitzer, 16.

Classmate Amanda Wallace, 17, countered, saying, “If you think about it, though, Ronald Reagan was an actor, and he became a pretty good president.”

Nine of 15 students in the 10 o’clock group say they might favor Obama, while 14 of 24 in the 11 o’clock class may support him. Eleven of the 39 students will be eligible to cast their first legal votes this fall, and not all of those 2008 voters are leaning toward Obama.

“I kind of like Huckabee,” said Wes Switzer, referring to Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor seeking the Republican nomination. “He’s religious and seems likable. Hillary [Clinton] and Barack, they seem kind of fake. When they’re down South, they seem to talk with an accent.”

That’s a perceptive 17-year-old, y’all. Clearly, these Marshall students can’t be blanketed with a stereotype, such as “wide-eyed liberals.” When their discussion turned to Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential potential, the students — including several girls — expressed skepticism. With war raging in Iraq, some students fear Clinton’s authority would not be respected by Middle Eastern countries where women’s rights are disregarded.

Others disagreed, and questioned Clinton’s stances, rather than her gender.

“Her views on the war have so drastically changed, it’s hard to tell what she’ll do,” said Wallace, “or what her husband will do.” That, of course, would be Bill, the former president. His hard-nosed campaigning for Hillary has included some jagged jabs at Obama, questioning his readiness to be president and dismissing his South Carolina primary victory by comparing it to similar wins in that state by another minority candidate, Jesse Jackson, in 1984 and ’88.

Nationally, though, Clinton leads Obama in support among Democrats, though the gap is narrowing. A Gallup poll last week showed her leading Obama by 6 points, down from 20 points earlier.

Among the Democrats, 17-year-old Kaysi Hilbert favors Clinton. But she prefers the top two Republicans, John McCain and Mitt Romney, overall. (In Illinois, McCain held a close lead over Romney in opinion polls, but Romney has Midwestern roots and grew up in Michigan.) One prime issue for Hilbert is preventing further government-funded health-care initiatives. “I just think it’s going to be bad for the economy,” she said.

Early voters motivated, flexible

Political conservatism isn’t rare in east-central Illinois. Two-thirds of voters in Clark County, for example, are Republican, said Bill Downey, a Democrat in his 17th year as county clerk. But he’s noticed something different about the 2008 campaign. Of the 150 Clark Countians who opted to use the early voting process for the Illinois primary, more than half chose Democrat ballots. And based on Downey’s own observation, many early voters were young people.

Voters of all ages, especially those under 30, seem more interested in this election, Downey said. A 21-year-old from Casey called Downey’s office to see if he needed any volunteer help. It was his second such call this winter. “That hasn’t happened in 16 years,” he said.

Why? Downey thinks Illinois’ decision to move its primary from March to February increased interest. It is now one of 22 states conducting presidential nominations on Super Tuesday.

Roger Eddy, the Republican state representative from Hutsonville, voted for the February move-up and thinks it will increase turnout. Nearly 80 percent of his constituents favored the shift, he said. “The comment I received most was, ‘Don’t let us become irrelevant,’” Eddy said. “You already have trouble with voter turnout.”

Downey also thinks Obama’s Illinois ties have heightened voters’ awareness. “I think it’s a little bit of Obama is from Illinois, and Hillary’s name recognition,” he said.

The crossover of Republicans voting in the Democratic race during the early voting process — a three-week period that ended Thursday — was not caused by any increased activity by the local party, Downey said.

“Nobody’s been out there beating the bushes, going door to door, or having voter drives at Wal-Mart,” he said.

Turnout among under-30 voters has been strong in most early primaries, according to estimates by CIRCLE — an acronym for the Maryland-based Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and Carnegie Corp. Comparisons to past presidential primaries are difficult, because so many states, like Illinois, changed their voting dates. Still, the number of 18- to 29-year-olds voting in the Iowa caucuses tripled. In the New Hampshire primary, it doubled.

In the 2004 election, youth voting increased nationwide. Candidates began hiring youth-vote directors for the first time ever, said Emily Kirby, a senior researcher for CIRCLE. A variety of organizations sponsored get-out-the-vote drives. Some states enacted same-day registration, helping under-30s who tend to move around more often and lose track of their registration status. “We’re breaking down some barriers for young people,” Kirby said.

So far in 2008, Obama has won the youth vote in every state except Florida, according to CIRCLE.

“He’s doing something right in terms of youth voters,” Kirby said.

Subliminal appeal

Obama’s effect on young voters seems apparent in those two Marshall High School classes. Cox, a 25-year-old who came to Marshall from nearby Red Hill last summer, stays neutral in discussions of the campaigns. He has noticed, though, that many — but certainly not all — of those students like something about Obama. Some like the idea of the nation electing its first black president. Some like his connection to their home state. Some like Obama’s public speaking style.

Courtney Bolinger, 16, said her brother lives in Iowa and attended an Obama speech prior to that state’s Jan. 3 presidential caucus. “He didn’t really know if he would vote for Barack until he heard him speak,” she said.

“He’s got a real charisma and appeal to our young people,” Cox said. “I guess it’s partly because of his appearance as being younger, and he has a message of hope and inspiration — more of a positive tone, maybe not a lot of substance, but it’s positive.”

As 16-year-old Kendall Hawkins said, “I like Barack Obama, but I really don’t know what he stands for. He’s just likable.”

That youthful appeal could be a subliminal edge for Obama.

“I think that it shouldn’t, but you look at appearance even though you don’t think about it,” Bolinger said.

Reminders of the nation’s history surround students in Cox’s room. Posters depict the Statue of Liberty, Veterans Day, the Bill of Rights, Pledge of Allegiance and famous quotations. In a glass case sits a presidential election facts and figures booklet and a replica of Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence. Next to the door is a photo of Martin Luther King Jr. leading the 1963 civil rights march in Birmingham, Ala., and his quote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

The students aren’t disregarding those who’ve gone before them, including their parents. Bolinger, for example, likes talking about the campaign with her dad. She’ll make her own decision, but values his opinion.

“I wouldn’t base it on his judgment, alone, but I would want to know why,” she said, “because he’s a pretty intelligent guy.”

Mark Bennett can be reached at mark.bennett@tribstar.com or (812) 231-4377.

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