A lot has been written this election cycle about the youth vote. A simple Google search for “youth vote” will give you close to 5,000 hits.

Most of this coverage has centered on young voters’ affinity for Sen. Barack Obama. I thought that was slightly skewed because there are two other major contenders for president, so I decided to write my own article on the youth vote. I conducted e-mail interviews with a supporter of each of the remaining candidates to find out what drew them to their candidates and how their political views affect their life.

In the interest of full disclosure, only the McCain supporter was old enough to vote in the primary. Additionally, the Clinton supporter will not be old enough to vote in the general election.

My McCain supporter voted for him in the primary. She was originally a Giuliani supporter, but after he dropped out, she switched her allegiance to McCain. She explained that she liked McCain’s “maverick” image.

“While distinctly conservative, he has a history of being able to reach across the aisle and get things done. Our president should be able to work with all members of the legislature, not just those from his or her own party,” she explained in her e-mail.

The most interesting part of her interview was her response to what it’s like to be a McCain supporter.

“As an 18-year-old registered Republican in Niskayuna, it's definitely a little different. A lot of kids, especially ones who just like to have opinions without knowing what they're talking about, are really militant, saying things like, ‘All Republicans are heartless.’ But most kids just like to engage me in political debates because I have a bit of variety to add to the discussion.”

My Obama girl was attracted to her candidate after reading his biography, “Dreams from My Father.” She likes his platform on education, environment and poverty. She specifically mentioned Obama’s promise of a Green Jobs Corps, which would create jobs working in “green tech.”

She also expressed admiration for Obama’s call for less gridlock in Washington. She wrote, “One of my favorite speeches by Obama was his Red State/Blue State speech about how the lines aren't as real as the media and politicians say they are. Obama has a good dialogue with the Republicans and has co-sponsored a lot of legislation with Republicans in Congress. I think he'd be a uniting force in government, and we need that right now.”

She’s still deciding what to do if Obama loses the nomination. She said, “I’m really not a big Clinton fan, and obviously I'll be disappointed if Obama doesn't get the nomination. I think Clinton would further divide the country and because of that probably wouldn't be as effective. I also don't like when she makes stuff up. I don't think I'd vote for her; but I really just don't agree with McCain on most issues, even though I think he's very competent and would be a good leader. So I wouldn't vote for him either. … I might support Nader, actually.”

Finally, my Clintonista was originally attracted to her candidate's economic proposals. While she acknowledged that many of Clinton and Obama's policies were similar, she stated, "Clinton's proposed policies are all more in tune with America's current economic situation. … Right now, America's faltering middle class needs exactly the kind of support she's willing to provide." She cited Clinton's universal health care system and plan for subprime mortgage relief as examples.
Like my McCain supporter, she feels like she is in a minority as a young Clinton supporter. She wrote, "Clinton is painted as the Washington insider and is thus seemingly opposed to the kind of change Obama advocates; Obama is therefore the 'cool' person to support. I completely disagree with this perception of Clinton."
Additionally, she has campaigned for her candidate. Before primaries, she calls voters to urge them to support Clinton. She also promised to support Obama, should he receive the Democratic nomination.

She said, "[T]he candidate's platforms are largely similar, and the most pressing matters at the moment - the Iraq War and the economy - would be handled well by either. I think a Democratic president, by pulling us out of Iraq and reviving our economy, would pave the way to the prosperity we enjoyed under Bill Clinton and restore our international standing."

I wanted to write this because I think regardless of how the general election shapes up, my generation will be uniquely involved. We've been named the millennial generation. According to technology analyst Ben Bajarin, "Millennials are very sensitive to the world’s issues and feel that as a group they can be a part of the solution to make the world better."

So you can know we'll be there in November trying to make a difference.