news-record.com

Tessa McKelevy knows exactly how to generate more interest among younger voters in the upcoming elections.

Ask celebrity role models to run paid advertisements on TV, encouraging younger people to vote for the candidate being endorsed. And if that doesn't work, she advises candidates to send text messages to younger voters.

McKelevy should know. After all, she's only 13.

McKelevy of Greensboro is among the thousands of younger citizens paying more attention to politics. According to a Brookings Institution survey, twice as many young people expressed interest in the 2008 presidential election as they did in 2004.

The young voters, ages 18 to 30, could be a large influence in the election. The group makes up nearly a quarter of the eligible voters in America.

Malcolm Kenton, 22, president of the Young Democrats of Guilford County, said the November election has created renewed interest among younger voters primarily because of the unique combination of party candidates.

There are "more exciting candidates that connect more with our generation," said Kenton, noting Obama's platform for change.

Seth Steele, 23, president of the UNCG College Democrats, can attest to the rise in young voter turnout.

"If the primary is any indication, the turnout for the 2008 general election will reach historic levels," he said.

Turnout at UNCG reached 992 Democratic ballots, a "stark contrast" to 33 ballots in the 2004 primary, Steele said.

Katy Harriger, chairwoman of the Department of Political Science at Wake Forest University, has ideas about this rise in voter registration and turnout.

"Voters in this age group have lower voter turnout rates than all other age group categories except the very old," said Harriger, referring to past presidential election trends. "The parties have recognized that this is an untapped group and have more aggressively sought to register these voters."

In North Carolina, at least 110,000 new voters registered before the May primary, with a sharp rise among unaffiliated voters, Democrats and African Americans, according to the state Board of Elections. The voter turnout rate in Guilford County this year was about 3 percent higher than the state's.

"I think the higher turnout is best explained by the fact that the primary finally mattered in North Carolina," said Harriger.

When the primary reached North Carolina on May 6, the Democratic nominee still hadn't been determined.

George Gilbert, director of the Guil- ford County Board of Elections, said he believes expanded local media coverage affected voter participation this year, especially for younger voters.

LaGail Williams, 42, an Obama campaign supporter, remembers another campaigning technique that proved very effective in generating young voter interest in past elections -- hip-hop rapping. The National Hip-Hip Political Convention was founded in 2003 to encourage grassroots activism, civic education, economic self-determination and voter participation.

This year, the convention plans to meet in Las Vegas.

Steele has some suggestions, too.

"Deploying on-campus groups and street teams, creating Facebook and MySpace profiles/groups, and sending out YouTube videos through blogs and e-mail have all helped in reaching young people," he said.

Kenton said that someone needs to communicate with the younger generation, whether it be via the Internet, social networking, or another form of Web communication. "I don't discount the value of face-to-face communication, either," said Kenton.

This is "our future, our election," he said. "And it will set the stage for our country's priorities down the line."

Megan Northcote, who heads off to Appalachian State University this fall, still isn't sold on journalism as a career just yet. Her other choice: museum curator.