Spring Break
Young voters support presidential hopefuls in NH
Patrick Lowney and Jamie Turcotte
Issue date: 2/6/04 Section: News
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But when the country descended on New Hampshire two weeks ago, political chaos transformed the humble town into a makeshift Manhattan.
While the Democratic candidates for president raced around the state giving speech after speech, their devoted supporters and volunteers braved the cold and lined the streets with banners, posters and megaphones in hand.
Among the throngs of people thrusting their signs in the air and waving at passing cars were the young people of America. They were the high school and college students out to show that apathy among voters their age is not as prevalent as is commonly thought.
A group of about 70 high school students from Chicago made the trip to New Hampshire with a program called the Mikva Challenge.
"It's a non-profit organization that gets people involved in politics, non-partisan I should say," said Colleen Murray, a teacher chaperoning the students. According to the students, they had the opportunity to research any candidate to their liking and then show their support for that candidate once all the students had been organized at the primaries.
Monica Embrey, 16, of the Mikva Challenge, supported Congressman Dennis Kucinich. "He's got great policies on everything," she said. "He's got it all."
In terms of support from younger voters, Embrey feels that their presence was there. "I think there's a ton of people doing it," she said.
Other members of the Mikva Challenge like 18-year-old Aziza Cherry backed General Wesley Clark and favored his policies that relate to the younger generation. "He wants to give high school seniors $12,000 for their first year of college," Cherry said.
Cherry feels that there needs to be more information for younger voters in the media. "I think a lot of people don't care because they aren't informed. I think it [student support] has been growing over the years," Cherry said. "It's a learning experience."
Miriam Schive, a sophomore from Princeton University, hopes more young people get out and let their voices be heard. "I think it's pretty amazing that younger students aren't involved," Schive said.
Other students jammed into cars and vans and traveled to different street corners throughout town to hand out flyers or start up chants. Meredith White, a freshman from the University of Delaware, supported Clark and felt the students she witnessed were determined to get involved in some way. "Our headquarters are packed with students," White said. "There's a lot of demographics but mostly students."
University of Tennessee at Knoxville freshman Grant Mitchell, volunteered at Senator John Edwards' headquarters and was ecstatic that he made the trip north to New England. "People overwhelmingly are giving a good response," he said. "I've had the time of my life up here and I wouldn't change it for anything."
