Students for Obama, Students for McCain

Historically, presidential candidates haven’t paid much attention to college students, or to younger people in general. Why? It’s kind of a vicious cycle between low voter turnout among young people and little attention paid to young people by politicians. Students don’t vote because politicians ignore them, and politicians ignore them because students don’t vote.

In terms of the candidates’ eagerness to court the votes of young people, this election is unlike any other I’ve ever seen. Perhaps it’s because the election is so close, so every vote really counts. Perhaps it’s because Barack Obama appeals strongly to young voters, which has the McCain campaign running to rally the conservative kids on college campuses. Or perhaps it’s just because the turbulent events of the past decade — 9/11, the War in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the economic crisis, global warming — have made this generation of students more politically aware and interested than young people during the last three or four elections. There’s a lot at stake in this election, and everyone knows it, including students.
The Obama campaign has been especially aggressive at trying to reach students. If you’re interested, check out the Students for Obama page, which is a big part of the official Obama election website. This organization actually started in 2006 as a Facebook page created to persuade Obama to run for president.
John McCain does not have a centralized place on his web page for student supporters, but you can visit individual McCain student groups on the web, like California Students for McCain. Another good place to find out about McCain is this unofficial Students for McCain page of MySpace.
Learn more about each candidate’s position on financial aid for students.