Teen voters appreciate personal touch

By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Education Writer

Television now drives presidential campaigns, but the lure of retail politics — the handshakes, the stump speeches, the personal appearances — remains strong, especially when voters are just getting to know the candidates.

Desiree Almodova

Elaine Kamanawa

Fayez Rumi

Krista Scott

Krista Scott, a senior at King Kekaulike High School on Maui, was impressed by Kucinich.

"He was the only candidate that took the time to come out to Hawai'i and made us feel that he valued our vote," said Scott, who attended a Kucinich appearance on Maui.

But Scott ended up voting for North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, whom she had only seen on television.

"John Edwards has good policies regarding post-secondary education and strengthening our economy," she explained, adding that she is keeping an open mind on her final choice. "Edwards is a wonderful public speaker who makes a connection with ordinary citizens."

The Advertiser is talking with Scott and three other high school seniors as they decide whether to cast their first vote for president in November. Young people are the least likely of any age group to vote, and these students are sharing their impressions of the campaign as it unfolds during the next several months.

Today's Super Tuesday vote in 10 states, including delegate-rich California, New York and Ohio, could determine whether Kerry seals his position as the front-runner to challenge President Bush or whether Edwards blossoms as an alternative.

Making choices

All four students were undecided in January, before the first votes were cast, but their opinions have begun to form as Kerry has won 18 of 20 early contests.

Elaine Kamanawa, a senior at Nanakuli High & Intermediate School, said she has settled on Kerry, although she admits that part of her reasoning is that so many other people are voting for him.

"I'm kind of jumping on the bandwagon," said Kamanawa, who continues to be concerned about the war with Iraq, public education and job creation. "But he seems like he knows a lot about politics and has the knowledge and potential to win against President Bush."

Desiree Almodova, a senior at Kailua High School who was more likely than the others to consider President Bush, said she also is taking a long look at Kerry.

"He's mentioned certain issues that I particularly am interested in, though I want to hear more about what he has to say," Almodova said.

Two recent issues — the rising federal deficit and Bush's support for a constitutional amendment against gay marriage — have Fayez Rumi, a Saint Louis School senior, leaning toward the Democrats.

Rumi said it is disturbing that Bush would continue to push for tax cuts in the face of a rising deficit, adding that the results would be felt by his generation.

He said the gay marriage amendment would "make a whole group of people second-class citizens."

'Electability issue' deciding factor

Right now, Rumi said, Kerry seems more presidential than Edwards.

"From recent debates, it appeared as though John Edwards was simply reciting lines from a script, whereas John Kerry seemed to have a more clear understanding of his stance on the issues.

"The deciding factor, however, will be the electability issue."

The students said they are getting their information about the candidates from a variety of sources — television, magazines, newspapers, friends and family — but they believe that the Internet could be an important tool to reach young people in the future.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean used the Internet for grassroots fund raising and a popular Web log — or blog — to energize his supporters, including many young people, in key early contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.

But Dean fizzled with voters, and he dropped out of the Democratic race last month, leading to questions about whether his Internet-fueled campaign exaggerated, rather than reflected, his strengths.

A national survey of 15- to 25-year-olds released in January also raised some doubts about the Internet as the ideal forum to reach young voters. The survey, by Lake Snell Perry & Associates and The Tarrance Group, determined that the Internet probably was not the best way to engage young people about politics, because young people — like most people — choose the Web sites they visit and are more likely to visit sites that echo their political views.

But the survey found that the Internet is a powerful and efficient way to mobilize young people who already are supporters of a candidate or cause.

"I do think that the Internet is a great way to get more teenagers involved in voting," Almodova said. "I would put more ads on Xanga, a place where a bunch of teenagers I know go."

Xanga is a collection of personal diaries and journals, an online meeting place, similar to the blog on Dean's Web site that proved so successful at connecting his supporters from across the country.

Rumi said the Internet is a great research tool, but he is conscious that it is a wide-open forum in which "anyone can write whatever they want." He said he tries to "stick to mainstream sources on the Internet to avoid confusion and contradictory information."

Reach out and touch

Scott, on Maui, said candidates should reach out personally to young people, preferably where they live or go to school.

"The Internet is very impersonal, and a candidate that is willing to take the time and energy to meet with the youth has a greater impact than an e-mail or Web page," she said.

Scott said Kucinich earned a "great deal of respect" for coming to Hawai'i, even if, when she had to make a choice, her vote went to someone else.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.