WASHINGTON - IT'S 'Hillblazers' versus 'Barackstars' on US college campuses, where presidential hopefuls are counting on zealous student volunteers to turn out the youth vote in November 2008.
Both Republican and Democrat contenders hope to draw young voters to their ranks, and overlook no outreach method in that quest: they set up websites on Facebook and MySpace, and their campaigns send text messages and flood YouTube and FlickR with speeches and testimonials.
No stone is left unturned in their zeal to cash in on young America's growing interest in politics, underscored in 2004 presidential elections that saw a 25 percent surge in participation by voters aged 18 to 24.
The candidates are encouraged in their efforts by non-partisan 'Rock the vote,' a group intent on spreading the political spark among young Americans.
'Research proves that outreach increases turnout,' it said in a statement.
In January 2004, youth participation in the Iowa presidential caucus was four times as high as in 2000, said Rock the Vote.
In sheer numbers, the increase isn't all that impressive, since the 18 to 24 group made up less than four percent of the Iowa caucus electorate at the time.
'Maybe this year will be different, but the track record is not good,' said Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Iowa's Drake University.
'It would shock me if there were a major increase. Students just aren't that attached to the electoral process,' he added.
What's more, the Jan 3 Iowa caucuses - the first nominating contest of the 2008 presidential election - will be held during holiday recess, in the middle of Iowa's harsh winter, putting student motivation to the test.
Survey
But in broader terms, the trend is promising. A survey taken a month ago by Harvard University's Institute of Politics found that 41 per cent of young people plan to take part in Republican and Democratic primaries, and 61 per cent plan to vote in November.
'The most interesting aspect of the survey relates less to candidate preferences than to the indication that young people are focusing on the issues facing America, and this cohort of nearly 30 million 18- to 24-year-olds is substantial and likely to have a significant impact in the upcoming election,' said institute director James Leach.
That's good news for Democrats, since another Harvard institute poll shows that only one in four young Americans identify with President George W. Bush's Republicans; more than one third (35 per cent) identify with Democrats, and 40 per cent are independent.
The Democrat's youngest candidate, Barack Obama, 46, already topped the youth vote one month ago when the Harvard institute poll gave him 38 per cent against and New York Senator Hillary Clinton's 33 per cent.
But the former first lady came out ahead among young people without higher education (38-31 per cent), while Senator Obama was the overwhelming favourite of university students (44-23 per cent).
That could be the reason Senator Obama's campaign is trying to organise transportation for students to the Iowa caucus, to make it easier for them to vote on their campuses.
On the Republican side, the Harvard institute poll, which preceded Arkansas Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee's spectacular rise, showed a surge of young voters for anti-war libertarian Ron Paul to six per cent from one per cent a month earlier.
Mr Paul, however, still trailed far behind former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani, with 26 per cent, the favourite of young Republicans. -- AFP
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US presidential hopefuls target the growing youth vote 
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