Zogby has done a study revealing increased interest in this year's presidential election.

Those young voters also chose Kerry over Bush, 55 percent to 40 percent.

The California College Republicans are holding a protest against Rock the Vote, arguing that discussing the draft is irrelevant because both candidates do not want to institute a draft.

California College Republicans Chairman Michael P. Davidson:

"MTV and the Kerry campaign's use of the draft to scare young voters into voting is pathetic and disgusting.

"While our servicemen are fighting for our country and the freedom of millions, military service should not be used as an instrument of fear. Military service is one of the most honorable deeds and any suggestion otherwise is grossly insulting.

The Rock the Vote campaign, which is non-partisan, has discussed the possiblity of a draft if violence continues in Iraq and other places in the War on Terror.

The basement of the Crosby Student Center at Gonzaga University was full once again, but this time with a mix of two parties. College Republicans and Young Democrats members mixed together in seats scattered around three televisions. Once again, pizza was distributed; once again it disappeared in a flash. Once again, all ages and backgrounds of students were seated in school chairs.

But this time, a simmering undercurrent of deep party division could only be muted by signs posted on each TV screen reading “RESPECT” and a sign in the center of the room announcing “You are in a neutral zone.” The sign continued on: “Upon entering this room, you have agreed to: Show respect to others and their ideas” and “Act in a civil manner.” For those who choose to break the rule, in small print at the bottom was posted a warning: “Failure to comply may result in removal.”

This time there was much more muted snickering, and far quieter dissent. There were no side-to-side glances to neighbors, but respect was the rule of the room. Around five members of the campus Libertarian Party were also in the room. The president and vice-president, acting in some way as impartial observers, said the crowd appeared to be about 60 to 75 percent Democratic based on, what they said, “the amount of scoffing at certain times.”

However, there were still moments when laughter rippled across the room when George W. Bush made an awkward joke. Or there were times when John F. Kerry would make a campaign promise that would garner groans from some watchers.

On the whole, though the crowd once again proved to be quiet and attentive. People remained respectful, and milling around was limited to the fringes of the room.

Quietness melted down as the last question of the night, concerning the influence of strong women in the candidate’s lives, elicited widespread laughs across the room. And after the debate’s final statements, groups of people clapped.

It was another civil night with a group of young adults. And it seemed everyone who left was chatting and discussing the debate. It continues to be difficult to find anyone who doesn’t care about this election.

A group is trying to convince young people to vote --- by appealing to their more intimate sides.

Votergasm.org asks young people to pledge "to vote. To have sex. To experience ... a Votergasm." (Warning, link may contain explicit content.)

The site encourages people to pledge to vote, and also pledge to have sex with other voters on Election Night. There are three pledge levels:

Citizen: I pledge to withhold sex from non-voters for the week following the election.

Patriot: I pledge to have sex with a voter on election night and withhold sex from non-voters for the week following the election.

American Hero: I pledge to have sex with a voter on election night and withhold sex from non-voters for the next four years.

This is a new approach to encouraging young people to vote. There are no designated Election Night meet-and-greet-and-go-home-together parties set up in Spokane ... yet.

The New York Times is making fine work of what this blog is trying to explain: what's happening with young voters in America right now.

But many teachers, teenagers and political experts say that high school students across the country are increasingly tuned in to politics, and turned on by the election. The war in Iraq, many say, has crystallized the value of political engagement. The images of young men and women fighting and dying have stirred up support for the Bush administration and caustic criticism.

Domestic issues, from rising college tuition to the environment, also seem pressing to high school students. And the close election of 2000 showed that each vote matters.

After watching the presidential debate Thursday night, two UNC students ended up slapping each other while fighting over who Jesus would vote for in the election.

According to a police report, the concept of "turning the other cheek" came up, and James Robert Austin, 19, of 1305 Granville Towers West in Chapel Hill, slapped Robert Brooks Rollins, 22, of 104 Brewer Lane in Carrboro, on the cheek at Rollins' house.

student, age 19 Leans Republican Richland, Wash. Two things are common in every young person interviewed for this project: they’re going to vote this year, and they’re voting because of George W. Bush. It’s no different for Cory Campbell, who was manning a table urging students to vote in campus elections. Campbell says young people are starting to realize that every vote matters. “Some people say it doesn’t, but I think it does,” he said. “There’s been instances where just a small number of votes influences an election. I think it’s important. Our founders gave us freedom to choose leadership.” Campbell has voted before in local races in his home town of Richland, as well as the Washington primary election a few weeks ago. As a member of the Gonzaga Elections Commission Campbell says he rarely encounters a student who is disinterested in the upcoming presidential election. “I think you will see an increase in youth vote turnout this year,” he said. “Everyone has an opinion on Bush. I think that’s going to drive a lot of young people to the polls. You either want to make sure he wants to get out of office or you want to keep him in office.”

Gonzaga Young Democrats hosted a presidential debate watching party last Thursday night in the basement of the Crosby Student Center.

Organizer Chris Wheatley expected a handful of supporters to come and watch the proceedings. He ordered 12 boxes of pizza. He set up about 50 chairs.

Instead, more than 100 people crowded into the room to watch the debate unfold on a projection screen. The pizza disappeared quickly after a subdued rush.

There was no chatter, and no background noise. Each word was listened to carefully, and occassionally a snicker rippled across the croud, or an improvised zinger in response to a comment.

Four couches closest to the screen offered the most comfortable viewing, and 50 feet back, students sat on tables.

Many laughed at President Bush's comments or some of his cutaway shots. But most students were generally quiet and attentive. Some wore their Democratic loyalty literally on their sleeve, brandishing shirts emblazoned with slogans and donkeys.

Many of the students said they were expecting a rough debate. They knew Bush's strongest subject was foreign policy. They went into the debate nervous and hopeful. But as the debate progressed, and Bush spoke more and more, many of them felt more at ease.

"He's losing it," one student remarked surprisingly. "He's actually screwing it up and everyone can see it."

There were no Republican distractions on this night. Everyone in the room was rivited. Even after 90 minutes of sitting, students kept their eyes glued to the screen.

As chairs were put away and pizza boxes tossed, Democrats were thrilled about the upcoming debates. The last one, on Wednesday, Oct. 13, will be a joint event, with both Young Democrats and College Republicans tuning in at the same party.

Most of the windows of DeSmet Hall, an all-male dormitory in the middle of Gonzaga’s campus, are political. Campaign signs for George Bush and John Kerry are a scattershot checkerboard of red, white and blue. And signs throughout the campus encourage young people to register to vote.

Tables in the Crosby Student Center have voter registration forms for many states so that students can vote for issues back home. Student officials will mail off the forms.

“We have a pretty politically active campus,” said student government official David Lindsay. “We’re pushing people to register to vote and to vote for issues and people.”

Lindsay said students are encouraged to vote absentee, although he hadn’t considered that some students may want to vote for issues in Spokane, since they live on land affected by Spokane laws.

Darlene Hendrickson of the financial aid office said Gonzaga does what it can to ensure students have the opportunity to register to vote. The university sends out notices in their campus-wide e-mails as well as items in paper mailings.

The University has also brought in former presidential candidates John McCain and Dennis Kucinich in an effort to spur political activism on campus.

Students looking to vote if they claim Gonzaga’s campus as their home precinct must walk seven blocks away to 4th Memorial Church. There are no polling places on campus.

Whitworth College student government representatives have been going door to door this Fall reminding students to register to vote. Political clubs and social organizations all have a common goal: making fellow students more active, said student body vice president Jackson Williams.

“We’ve done a real good job of going to students instead of having them go to us,” he said.

A difficulty may arise, though, for students who choose Whitworth as their home voting precinct. Their polling place is down the hill and hard to get at. It’s in Brentwood Elementary school, and that means most students register to vote absentee in their home areas.

“Most of the students are encouraged to vote absentee, actually,” Williams said. While voter registration forms are not mailed out to each student as they are at some schools around the country, the message is hard to miss when you’re at Whitworth’s campus. Signs, flyers and persistent volunteers are getting out the vote.

While John Kerry seemed the most likely choice among young people throughout most of the election cycle, the race is now tied, according to a Newsweek/GENEXT Poll.

The poll also reveals, however, that more young voters disapprove of the president's handling of Iraq and domestic issues.

On the domestic front, approval of the president’s handling of the economy dipped slightly to 44 percent after having leveled off at 47 percent. Approval of the president’s management of other domestic issues—such as health care, education, the environment and energy—also dipped two points to 42 percent from 44 percent in last month.

The New York Times wrote an editorial demanding that barriers be removed for young people who want to vote.

Under the Higher Education Act of 1998, colleges and universities receiving federal funds must make a good-faith effort to distribute voter registration forms to every student, and to make those forms widely available on campus. But a newly released study by Harvard University's Institute of Politics and the Chronicle of Higher Education found that fewer than 17 percent of schools are in full compliance, and one-third are not even making minimal efforts.

We'll be looking at what steps Spokane-area universities are taking to encourage youth voting this week. We'd like to know if polling places can be found on campuses and if students are encouraged to register to vote.

The Spokane Young Democrats have a political blog that is updated nearly daily. The blog seems to contain mostly national news interpreted on a local scale.

In fairness, the Spokane Young Republicans also have a site, but unfortunately they do not have a frequently updated blog.

student, Age 24 Independent North side After two years living in Britain, Justin Howard is back in America, studying in school, and studying up for this fall’s election. Calling himself an independent-minded voter who sees two political parties that “mirror each other in most respects,” he said he tends to lean toward any candidate who has a more liberal stance toward most issues. Usually that means leaning Democratic, but Howard keeps his options open. “I wouldn’t say I’m more Democratic, I’d lean more towards independent, because if there’s a better candidate which actually fulfills more of a liberal (stance), then that’s a better option,” he said. Howard said he understands how young people might have looked at the last election as the decision between the lesser of two evils. This year, while he’s not completely satisfied, he has a clear idea of who he’s voting for. “It’s again the lesser of two evils, but one of the evils really sticks out,” he said. Howard thinks that health care is a big issue this year. He doesn’t have health care right now and thinks it’s too expensive He thinks malpractice laws should be re-examined. And, to give people a better voice in politics, he thinks campaign finance should be heavily restructured so that corporations are not pulling politician’s strings. “A lot of the big politicians, I feel, they’ll bend over backwards for the corporations and the people funding their campaigns because they want to get elected again.

In a circle of more than 25 college students in Laura Brunell’s political science class, there were scarcely any apathetic voices in the room. In fact, there was near-empathy for those who didn’t have what was called the luxury of time to openly discuss issues.

Today, when television talking-heads suffice for shouted and belittling “political discussion,” a group of mostly young 20-somethings in a wood-paneled Gonzaga classroom said they should take what they know out to the rest of the world. The class, “Think Globally, Act Locally,” was attended by mostly upper-classmen students.

“As college students we’re among the most well-educated people,” one young woman said. “We sit around in classrooms and talk about this all day long. But with the lower class – how do they have time to get involved? We have an obligation to get that out; to do something for those people that don’t have a chance.”

It was another group of young people who all seem to care about politics. In all of the research and interviews that have taken place for this blog, this reporter is yet to have run across a young person who doesn’t feel like they should be involved in this fall’s elections, or in politics in general.

One young man affiliated with the Young Democrats said his group – as well as the College Republicans – have swelling memberships.

“There are so many people who are interested in this particular election,” he said. “There are pretty strong feelings on both sides for each candidate.”

The group’s discussion was far-ranging, reaching subjects like the war in Iraq, the economy, the war on terror and criticism of the media.

Many agreed that the best way to stay informed was to be active in their communities and to take in news from many sides, not just from niche outlets that best serve what people want to hear.

“It’s really the job of you individually to investigate,” one student said. “It’s partly the people’s fault because of what’s going on in the world.”

Students in the class are required to take part in “service learning,” where they work with groups devoted to subjects like economic justice or political campaigns.

Getting students involved in politics “tends to have a contagious effect on your life. It blossoms into something else,” Brunell said to the class. “That’s what I’m hoping will happen. I know you’re all focused on the election coming up and that might pique your interest, but I hope you stay involved.”

Small-business owner, Age 21 Republican Post Falls, Idaho For some young people, this is the first time they’ll be dropping a ballot in the box on Election Day. Matt Logan, owner of “It’s in the Bag,” a store that sells puffy foam bean bags in the Spokane Valley Mall, believes that now that he sees what politics can do for businesses, it’s time to take action and vote for candidates who will help him. “Since I’ve started my own business I think it’s a little more important to look into it and see whose values are where,” he said. But besides business concerns, many other so-called “hot-button issues” aren’t what drive Logan to vote. He doesn’t have strong opinions about the environment or gun rights. And while he admits to having a bad voting history, he thinks the presidential election is going to bring him and his peers to the polls. “In the past I didn’t vote because I didn’t have time or didn’t think about it,” he said. “I think because it’s a presidential election most young people that haven’t voted in the past will this time, hopefully.”

A Harvard Institute of Politics study revealed last March that more young people are expected to vote in this fall's general election than were interested last year.

A March poll by the Harvard Institute of Politics found that 62 percent of college students definitely planned to vote in November, compared with 50 percent of those polled in April 2000.

Link here. (Statistic is buried, registration required.)

The IOP has also created a booklet to help politicians reach out to young voters.

Also, two stories ran last week on the Associated Press wire.

One suggested, in another study with the IOP and the Chrnoicle of Higher Education, that colleges are not doing as much as they could nationwide to register students to vote.

The other article explains how black leaders are reaching out to young people to try and make their voices more prominent, using hip-hop artists and community organizations.

On a related note, optimistic rap artist P. Diddy has fashioned a series of clothing with the words "Vote or Die" emblazoned across the front. Election-year fashion is trying to be all the rage this year.

Amanda Pantz, retail worker, Rings and Things, Age 22 Anarchist Brownes Addition Nicki Sabalu, retail worker, Rings and Things, Age 22 No political affiliation Brownes Addition Four years ago, things were different. These two young women, both freshly 18, skipped out on the election, but this year politics in America have driven them to show up at the polls. Amanda Pantz and Nicki Sabalu, on a coffee break and sitting against a brick wall in an alley downtown, said they believe young people will show up because this time the fate of the country is at stake. The “fascist regime” that’s backing up George W. Bush needs to be voted out, Pantz said. Four years ago Pantz didn’t vote because she thought the usual voting public wouldn’t turn out for the current president. “I had an idea that nobody would vote for W,” she said. “I figured everybody would know better.” While some of their friends say they’re planning to vote for George Bush to, in their words, bring down the country faster – Pantz said she still believes there’s still room to fight for her vision of a better America. Sabalu, will be turning out to vote for Initiative 297, which will set new standards for toxic waste cleanup. She said democracy would be better served if voters were better informed about the issues, and outreach was given to poor communities to encourage them to vote. “A lot of them feel that their votes don’t count,” Sabalu said, and they are big enough force to effect a dramatic change in the elections. Both agree that the mainstream media is not a place they can trust to be informed about issues. “It’s basically news to whoever pays the most,” Pantz said. “It’s sort of ‘their’ version.” Both agree that voting is just one small step that people can take to make their country better. “It’s important to say, don’t just vote,” Subalu said. “Whether or not you think it’s important, get involved in your community.”

In a column published in the Washington Post, Spinsanity.org editor Bryan Keefer tries to tell the mainstream media to forget the old priorities.

To me and others raised in our media-saturated environment, where 24-hour cable news and Internet access bring us more information than we can possibly digest, the mainstream media seem trapped in the age of "All the President's Men." They're still wedded to outdated ambitions like getting the "scoop" or maintaining a veneer of objectivity, both of which are concepts that have been superseded by technology. We live in an era when PR pros have figured out how to bend the news cycle to their whims, and much of what's broadcast on the networks bears a striking resemblance to the commercials airing between segments.

Keefer argues that the last few weeks of presidential campaign coverage are "symptomatic of everything that's wrong with the establishment news media from a young person's perspective."

Where can people go to get the real story on issues like Kerry's Vietnam service? The sad truth is that there isn't one single place where they can go, because hardly anyone in the mainstream media is putting the real story together effectively. Until the media begin understanding that many young people are turning away from mainstream news outlets for precisely this reason, we'll continue to go elsewhere for our news.

Union organizer, Age 22 Democrat South hill All of her friends know what to expect in their 18th birthday cards. That’s because Ashlee Rochelle Wiese has made it a habit to enclose a voter registration card along with her birthday salutations. She said it’s the first step in the long path of being a responsible citizen. These days, it’s an even more important step than before. “Young people who are graduating from college are beginning to realize that the most important thing instead of getting a job is actually getting health insurance,” Wiese said. She works as an organizer for a local health workers’ union, so health care issues are what drives her votes. But whatever the cause, young people should find something that concerns them and take it with them to the polls, she said. “I think for a while people thought that voting didn’t make a difference,” she said. “Things were kind of going well. We had a pretty good economy, things were just going O.K.” But after the 2000 presidential election, which was decided by a sliver of votes and coincidentally had the lowest youth voter turnout of any post-1972 election, young people noticed that their votes do matter, she said. “People are starting to realize that one vote really can make a difference, especially on the local level,” Wiese said. “The message coming out is that it doesn’t matter how you vote, you just need to vote.”

Campaign organizer, Age 22 Democrat Spokane She could be considered the complete opposite of apathetic. In fact, the word can scarcely cross her lips without a direct rebuttal. Don’t listen to the news reports, because people like Danielle Cendejas will assure you youth are more politically motivated than ever. "There’s a lot at stake for us," Cendejas said while on a break from her desk campaigning for Don Barbieri. In that office every one of the nearly 10 young staffers in the front room manned phones and laptops one early September afternoon. "I think a lot of young people are going to turn out." While working as the head of Young Democrats at Gonzaga University last year, Cendejas noticed people weren’t always big-time political activists, but nearly everyone held beliefs of some sort. "People write them off as being apathetic and that they don’t care. In reality, that isn’t true. It’s just a different kind of caring. "Cendejas said most young people have responded better to a younger representative of a national campaign than simply the candidate themselves. She said political motivation for young voters can only come from people their same age. "If it’s coming from a fellow peer it means a lot more."

The Campaign for Young Voters claims to know just exactly how politicians can best reach out and attract the youth vote. The website offers a "toolkit" of ways to make that finicky group of 18- to 25-year-olds come around and appreciate your message.

A few of their do's and don'ts for success:

Do: "Visit them on their turf —- and listen to them."

Do: "Deal with young adults in a personal way; talk with young adults one-on-one, and be yourself."

A notable "don't":

Don't: "Try to be "hip." Young adults want honesty and authenticity; they can quickly detect when a candidate is fake or patronizing."

Besides putting quotation marks around nearly every instance of the word "turf" on this website, the group provides nearly every service, apparently for free, that could be used to attract young people.

There are links to sample websites, in which "a casual, action-oriented photo shows that the candidate is down-to-earth and involved in the community."

Or how about this page, detailing a sample radio ad:

Young person:
Hi, I'm Jennifer Moore, I'm a sophomore at State and I used to think that my vote didn't matter, but now I know differently. That's why I'm part of a group of young people who want you to know that your vote does matter.

A prepared toolkit may be a start, but it can't look as obvious as this.

Teacher, Age 24 Independent East Central Neighborhood, Spokane The most important political issue for Erika Bower is education. The most important race to her this year is the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Why? It’s her job. Bower is a Spanish teacher in the Central Valley School District. National races, like those for the president and Senate, are good and all --- but when it comes down to it, the individual voter can make a bigger difference in local elections. “I almost feel more like my vote counts for something when it’s a local issue as opposed to a national issue just because it feels like you are one number in a sea of people,” Bower said. When school bond issues are turned down by mere handfuls of votes, Bower said local level politics are an opportunity to showcase the power of a voting democracy. “It seems like even when a Democratic president gets elected, for example, it seems like then the Senate gets filled with Republicans,” she said. “It seems like nothing really ever happens.”

In 1971, the U.S. Constitution was amended to allow citizens ages 18 and up to vote in national elections. America was in the midst of a war in Vietnam. Young men were being sent to a foreign land to fight, and sometimes die, for their country. But they were not allowed to vote.

After the 26th Amendment passed, more than half of the eligible young voters, ages 18-24, turned out and cast ballots. However, every year since then, the numbers have been down, sparing an occasional spike in presidential election years. But never since that initial year have more than 50 percent of young adults turned out to vote.

The youth vote is a popular topic of interest to politicians, the media and to voters themselves. In this blog, I will listen to what Inland Northwest young people have to say about their democracy. Already I've found far-ranging opinions. Some voters consider their "one-in-a-million" vote to be their most important civic duty. Other people vigorously defend their apathy, believing that if the country doesn't work for them, why should they contribute to the country?

I will profile several young voters in the Inland Northwest, and also do some investigating of my own. Hopefully, by this November's election, I can provide a more clear understanding of young voters.