Young Voters Could Again Play Key Role in US Election
At the University of Maryland near Washington D.C., young Democrats meet to phone voters in
nearby "battleground states" - states that tend to swing between Democratic and Republican
candidates.
Maryland itself tends to vote Democrateic in presidential races.
Engaging college voters
Surveys show that young people are less engaged this year than in 2008. But at Maryland, College
Democrat President Tyler Grote said there is a lot of enthusiasm for Obama.
"People are very passionate about what they believe in, especially when there are people with two
very different appoaches for how they want to run this country," siad Grote.
A few hundred Maryland students turned out to watch the first presidential debate between Obama
and Romney.
College Republican Caroline Carlson said the economic situation has dampened the president's appeal.
" In 2008 it was all about hope and change. They thought they were voting for a celebrity, whereas
now, they realize when they are graduating from colleage, I think they unemployment rate for people
who are 20-24 is about 14 percent, which is pretty high," said Carlson.