There is no question that the 2008 presidential election is making history with the possibility of America’s first African American or female president. But another historic event is taking place: youth activism is sharply increasing and young people are turning up at the polls in record numbers.

Nearly every state that has held a primary or caucus has seen a rise in voters under the age of 30. According to the [1] University of Maryland’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), youth turnout nearly tripled in Texas, and Ohio saw a 10 percent increase.

Super Tuesday also saw polling locations visited by young people at an unusual rate. According to an analysis done by the center, over three million young voters participated in the 24 primaries or caucuses held that day. Seven of the eight states that participated in Super Tuesday in 2000 saw increases in the youth vote, with some states tripling or quadrupling youth involvement.

The 2008 election is seen as one of the most important in history. It is taking place in a country involved in a controversial war with a troubled economy and a president whose approval rating is in the low 30s. The increased youth vote is representative of a country ready for change and this voting group seems to have found its candidate: Senator Barack Obama.

Obama appeals to the generation referred to as Millennials by Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais, co-authors of “Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube & the Future of American Politics” (Rutgers University Press 3/08). This generation includes youth born between 1982 and 2003 and Winograd and Hais describe the age bracket as a more tolerant, diverse and progressive group. According to the authors, Millennials are more of a “civic” generation, ready to focus on uniting society and restoring political and government institutions instead of highlighting moral and societal issues.

With this mindset, Obama is the most attractive candidate in the running, especially with his campaign focusing on change and his use of the catch phrase “Yes You Can.” Many people agree that Obama’s appeal includes his ability to deliver motivating and enthusiastic speeches through his attractive rhetoric, but there is more to his campaign that draws the youth.

“The most important factors are his ability to represent change, his optimistic outlook, and his personal and political style,” Winograd and Hais wrote in an e-mail interview. “Obama is best positioned to take advantage of the desire of Millennials for change.”

Matthew Segal, 22, executive director of the Student Association for Voter Empowerment (SAVE), agrees with Obama’s ability to capitalize on the youth’s readiness for change. SAVE is a non-profit, student-run organization whose main goal is to increase voter participation among young people. Segal says Obama’s campaign has been able to empower youth through his focus on the importance of young people in the 2008 election.

“Young people have historically been devalued by campaigns,” Segal, a senior at Kenyon College, says. “Barack has taken the philosophy that for the first time in history, young voters aren’t going to be considered a bonus, but rather a core or integral part of [the election].”

Obama’s use of change is not his only tactic to reach out to the Millennials. He has also utilized social networks, such as Facebook, in his campaigning, a place on the Internet where young people spend a lot of their free time.

“He is using the social networking technologies that Millennials are most comfortable using to convey his message to Millennials,” wrote Winograd and Hais.

Obama also set up his own Web site, [2] MyBarackObama.com, with a platform similar to Facebook where members can meet new friends, discuss policy and invite people to campaign events.

“Barack’s use of technology has been exceptional,” Segal says. “There are dozens upon dozens of Facebook groups which has built contributors, organized rallies and support groups, and recruited more people to hop on the bandwagon. His supporters are using YouTube to give speeches. Obama uses young people to create energy and enthusiasm and he allows them to have a creative voice in politics.”

Obama is starting to close the generation gap that young people have felt with the more common older candidates, including Senator Hillary Clinton. She has not used technology to her advantage in order to reach the younger voter; instead she’s focused on issues that America’s been fighting about for years. Millennials are ready to bring new policies into the foreground of politics.

“Obama has sort of had this message that he is not part of that older generation,” says Andrew Romano, assistant editor and political blogger for Newsweek.

Romano says Obama comes after the generation still fighting over sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.

“Obama says he won’t be involved in the same partisan bickering. To younger voters it’s a generational change: trying to find consensus and unity, recognizing strength and community, and naturally appealing to our generation. He is less partisan and more interested in problem solving.”

Millennials are frustrated with the current state of government and the policies President George W. Bush has implemented in the last seven years. The idea of a young candidate rallying around the notion of change has shown to motivate the youth to turn up at the voting booths in historical numbers.

“Obama has monopolized on change…and young people have always organized around that concept,” Segal says. “He’s building successfully off that word and using it well to maintain the excitement.”

Since Obama is running on a campaign promising change for a voting population already upset with the current administration, some wonder if people are truly looking at his policies or if they’re only focusing on a government ready for a transformation.

“This is coming at a point in history where people just hate Bush,” says Ryan Bilodeau, 22, a junior at University of Rhode Island and the state chairman of College Republicans in Rhode Island. “[People are] so frustrated with what is going on in the country that no matter who the Democrat is there would be increased turnout. People aren’t only for the good qualities Obama has, but also the bad qualities Bush has.”

Whether the youth are attracted to Obama’s readiness for change or the idea that he is not President Bush, Obama is making SAVE’s mission a little easier by engaging the youth in politics.

“Our whole purpose of our organization was to instill this sense of civic engagement and create an active voter,” says Kevin Tamul, 22, director of public relations for the group and a senior at St. Lawrence University. “If you get the voter to polls once, more than likely they’ll go to polls again and that’s something we stress a lot. Obama is definitely contributing to this and he has created a larger group of youth who wants to vote, indirectly creating large interest in voting which we have not seen since 1978.”