Parties Scramble for Youth Vote

Recently, the group has been showcasing the results of a poll on young voters done with prominent pollsters Ed Goeas, a Republican, and Celinda Lake, a Democrat. The poll found that young people believe Democrats are better equipped to handle their top concerns -- gas prices, education and the economy -- by a wide margin.

The Democratic advantage extends from 2004, when young people were the only age group Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) won in his presidential bid. The question for Democrats now is whether the youth advantage can turn into the margin of victory in close races that will decide control of Congress this November.

Ivan Frishberg, a Democratic consultant who works with Young Voter Strategies, said that Democrats this year "anticipate something's coming and they are starting to plan for it."

In that light, Democrats last month announced that college affordability would be a top issue on their agenda if they regain control of the House -- a move applauded by nonpartisan youth voter groups. "They're very important," said Rep. George Miller (Calif.), House Democrats' point man on college affordability. "We're trying to address issues of their concern."

Lake said she has told Democrats they have "a major opportunity" to nurture the future of the party. "The long-term studies show that if you capture a cohort in their youth three times in a row, then you hold their party identification for the rest of their life," she said.

At the Democratic National Committee, youth outreach has become a part of Chairman Howard Dean's 50-state strategy of investing in the party for 2006 and beyond. "With the new changes in the DNC, a lot of people woke up to the fact that we were the only age demographic that Kerry won," said Grant Woodard, 22, the president of the College Democrats of America, which is structurally a part of the DNC. In April, 45 young Democratic leaders convened at the DNC's convention in New Orleans to share tips on party building.

Republicans, meanwhile, seek to maximize the advantage they have in one subgroup: young people who already affiliate as Republicans. In an analysis, Goeas noted that "young Republican voters enjoy a seven-point intensity advantage over young Democratic voters," meaning they are more likely to participate and vote.

"Demographics are one thing, but nobody has a voter mobilization machine like we do on college campuses," said Paul Gourley, 24, chairman of the College Republicans National Committee.

The Republican National Committee is trying to get into youth communities at the beginning of the cycle. "This isn't about the last two weeks before an election," said David Rexrode, RNC national director of coalitions.

"We're using technology to allow youth to talk to other youth," he said, noting the creation of MyGOP, a social networking Web site for conservatives. "The way we influence voters and the way we influence our communities is to have people in the communities talking about our message."

Hugh Weber, a Republican consultant who works with Young Voter Strategies, said Republicans know that young voters lean Democratic, but "to square off 25 percent of the voting electorate is to ensure failure and defeat, and I think that's starting to resonate with the party."