Young voters seek stake in 2008

Catrina Wiest, 22, was old enough to vote in the last presidential election, but she never bothered to register.

"I didn't think it would matter. Now I do," the College of Charleston senior said, adding she doesn't think the country has gotten better in the past four years. "I got my voter registration card the other day. I'm pretty excited."

Wiest, who lives on James Island, is just one of thousands of younger Lowcountry residents ready to "rock the vote."

The number of South Carolina registered voters has climbed steadily this year, but those ages 18-24 signed up at twice the rate of other voters, according to State Election Commission figures. That also was true in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties.

Amy Jackson, a sophomore at the college, said she registered even though she acknowledged, "I'm not really into politics."

April Williams, a sophomore from Lake City, registered when she graduated from high school in May 2007, but she missed her chance to vote in the presidential primaries earlier this year because she didn't request an absentee ballot in time. She recently moved her registration to Charleston so she can vote in person Nov. 4.

Fritz Stine, a senior from Kentucky, said his friends often talk about politics and have watched the debates. "I feel every time I watch the debates, it's nothing but finger-pointing. It's very hard to know what's real," he said, "but if you're not in the loop, you need to be."

There were active voter registration drives across Lowcountry campuses. Jessica Russell, a senior at Charleston Southern University, said she was one of several people handing out registration forms leading up to the Oct. 4 deadline, "It was really, really busy," she said.

William Phillips, a CSU freshman from Florence, said the rise of comedy shows that feature current events, such as "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report," have helped increase interest among young voters.

He has watched the debates and analyzedthem for his evaluative literary class.

"I think most of this campus leans toward (Democratic nominee Barack) Obama," Phillips said. "If you don't study the issues, Barack Obama gets your vote. He's vastly more charismatic than any candidate who has run in years."

Freshman Marie Caron of Washington, who was sitting with Phillips, didn't argue that point even though she supports Republican John McCain.

What's going on?

Sam Williford, student coordinator for Democracy Matters at the College of Charleston, noted that several presidential candidates, including both McCain and Obama, spoke at the college within the past year during the frenzied run-up to their primaries here in January.

"The excitement level has definitely gone up with this election," he said. "Initially, there was a lot of buzz about Barack Obama, but once John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his vice president, there was a lot of interest and a lot of buzz on the conservative Republican side as well."

Williford said his nonpartisan group has been trying to clear up misconceptions and encourage participation. "There's definitely confusion about whether they need to change their registration or request an absentee ballot," he said.

Students who have changed their address to a local one may vote at a local precinct. If not, they need to request an absentee ballot from their home county.

Young people may be involved because both Obama and McCain are viewed favorably by most of the electorate, but Charleston lawyer and Democratic National Committeeman Waring Howe said he thinks young voters are excited because they feel a personal stake in the issues.

"They might be getting out into the employment world very soon, and they're very concerned about their employment prospects," he said. "The second issue is Iraq. They know people who have been deployed or could be deployed yet. They have an identification with that war."

Will they vote?

Another question is whether these younger voters will bother to turn out on Election day.

There was a national push to encourage young voters to "rock the vote" in 2004, and about 47 percent of them voted that year, up from 36 percent in 2000.

No other age group increased its turnout by more than 5 percent that year. Still, the youngest voters still had the lowest turnout rate.

Obama's South Carolina political director, Clay Middleton, 26, said most of the campaign's 10,000-plus volunteers in this state are under age 35, and the campaign has urged them to vote absentee so they can volunteer on Election Day to canvass neighborhoods, send out text messages and do other work to get out the vote.

"Traditionally, people feel that young folks may register to vote, but they won't come out to vote. That will not be the case," he said. "They will come out to vote. I can guarantee that."

Polls have shown young voters here are more divided in their loyalties than their parents. One recent South Carolina poll showed voters younger than 49 favored McCain over Obama by a 54-42 margin, but McCain's lead opened up to 65-30 among voters over 50.

While younger voters are part of Obama's base, Democrats don't have a lock on the youth vote.

"We have an active network of college Republicans and young Republicans across the state," said South Carolina GOP spokesman Rob Godfrey. "Frankly, young people are very open to the maverick message of real reform and change in government and have been drawn to the Republican ticket, particularly with the addition of Sarah Palin."

Kellee McGahey, chairwoman of the Charleston Young Professionals, said her group has been working not just to register young voters, but also to encourage them to vote. Sixty of its members recently met with candidates for the state House and Senate to learn more about their platforms.

"Just because you're registered, you're not making the difference you truly could be if you don't get out to vote," she said.

"You have to be educated not just on the presidential race. The state, city and county elections are almost more important to our day-to-day lives."

Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or at rbehre@post andcourier.com.