Young Voters Predict Big Impact on Fall Election

RAY SUAREZ:

Finally tonight, a new enthusiasm for politics among voters under 30. Judy Woodruff has the story.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), Ill.: … and why young people from all over this country have left their friends and their families for a job that offers little pay and less sleep.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

Barack Obama went back to Iowa, the site of his first win of the campaign season, to send a message of thanks last week.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA:

It's what led high school and college students to give up their vacations to stuff envelopes and knock on doors.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

That was thanks directed particularly to young people. They made up 22 percent of the Democratic caucus vote in Iowa, about twice as many as typically take part in caucuses. And of those, 57 percent went for Obama, the largest margin he received from any age group.

The youth vote has been much discussed in the past, but it's 2008 that has really brought out the 18- to 29-year-old crowd in full force. More than 5.7 million voters under the age of 30 have participated in primaries and caucuses so far. That is a 109 percent increase from the last presidential cycle.

And, compared to 2000, the youth vote quadrupled in Tennessee; nearly tripled in Texas, Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma; and doubled in Ohio and Massachusetts.

Hillary Clinton has tried to sway young people, too. Here's what she said after Super Tuesday.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), N.Y.: I won the youth vote in both Massachusetts and California. We obviously have geared up and really done a lot more in recent months to reach out to young people, to let them know that I'm not just worried about the next election, I'm worried about the next generation.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

And the 71-year-old John McCain has tried to praise the virtues of the work ethic of the younger generation.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), Ariz.: Young Americans, no less than earlier generations, understand that true happiness is much greater than the pursuit of pleasure and can only be found by serving causes greater than self-interest.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

Of course, candidates have tried to attract tech-savvy young people through the Internet.

But while campaigns reach out to students, students are reaching out to each other, maximizing social networking tools to mobilize their friends and peers.

Here at this MySpace pro-Clinton group, people can go to find out more information about a rally this week to try to influence the Democratic National Committee's upcoming meeting to seat Florida and Michigan delegates at this summer's convention.

At this Facebook page, young people feed other young people more detailed advocacy information on Obama.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON:

The category is my top 10 campaign promises.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

In fact, candidates have continued to turn to late-night comedy shows to attract generation next. By clicking on this YouTube link, young McCain supporters hope they'll attract others to check out their candidate in case they missed his appearance or want to see it again.

And youth voter mobilization groups have combined old-fashioned pavement-pounding with the new ways of the wired world, from bring your own phone to phone banks to "Text the Vote" announcements.

GIDEON YAGO, MTV anchor: We're giving you, the young voter, the chance to pose questions directly to the men and woman who would be president.

JUDY WOODRUFF:

Over the course of the campaign, forums, such as ONE, co-sponsored by MySpace and MTV, and the CNN-YouTube debates, have given young people a way to get questions directly to the candidates.