NPR: The Hunt for the Youth Vote in Iowa

The Hunt for the Youth Vote in Iowa

USA Today reports that presidential candidates are working to generate excitement among young people in Iowa as the state's caucuses approach — aided by tools like the social networking site Facebook that have allowed them to organize college students in new ways.

But they also face a new obstacle created by Iowa's desire to remain "first in the nation" during primary season: winter break. Classes will be out of session at almost all the colleges and universities in Iowa on Jan. 3. The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire recently examined how the break could hurt in particular Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, whose poll numbers reflect his support among 18- to 30-year-olds.

The campaigns are hoping that the 60 percent of Iowa's 30,000 college students who live in the state will still caucus in their hometowns. But the trick is making sure they go; if the colleges were still in session, it would be much easier to organize them.

Some colleges do plan to open briefly during the voting to give out-of-state students a place to stay if they want to come help their favorite candidates. (Ken Rudin, NPR's political editor, tells me that he hasn't heard anything from any of the campaigns in Iowa about whether they'll take steps to try to address the scheduling conflict.)

And while we're on the subject of Iowa, NPR will be there to sponsor a Democratic debate on Dec. 4. We'll have more details as we get closer.

1:46 PM ET | 11-12-2007 | permalink

Send a Comment

Comments are reviewed and edited by NPR prior to display. All comments will be read, but not all will be posted.

NPR reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its Web site or in any medium now known or unknown the e-mails and letters that we receive. We may edit them for clarity or brevity and identify authors by name and location. For additional information, please consult our Terms of Use.

E-mail this Page

Recipient's e-mail address:	» Up to twelve addresses, separated by commas.
Your e-mail address:
Your name:
Personal message (optional, 600 characters max):
Your NPR member station:
Are you a member of your local NPR station?	Yes No
Would you like to receive information from your local NPR member station? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No
May we contact you with information about NPR programming and services? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No

(Information collected by NPR will be used solely for internal NPR or NPR member station purposes and only if you selected 'yes' above. See NPR's privacy policy for more information.)

Tom Regan

Blogger

About Us

This year's election cycle has been one of the most exciting in memory. At the NPR News Blog we'll do our best to bring you interesting, informative -- and controversial -- stories from our own reporters and bloggers, as well as the rest of the best of the Internet and blogosphere. And we hope you'll let us know what you think as well.

Want to learn more? Be sure to read our Frequently Asked Questions and our discussion guidelines.