Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has been devoting campaigning time and energy in an effort to attract college-aged voters by embarking on a tour of some of the nation's institutions of higher education.
Kerry's focus on young voters may be strategically well-placed. According to a nationwide survey conducted by Harvard's Institute of Politics (IOP), 62 percent of college students have been paying attention to political news stories and 61 percent -- up 10 percent in the fall of 2000 -- say they will make sure to vote in November's presidential election.
Paul Davis, a freshman at Harvard who helped write the survey questions said, "More students may be planning to vote because of the high profile of the Democratic primary and the closeness of the 2000 election."
The Harvard poll results placed Kerry ahead of Bush by ten points, at 48 to 38 percent.
Jenna Dreher, the founder of Tufts Students for Kerry, sees his recent visits to college campuses as a step in the right direction. "Kerry recognizes that college students are the future of America," she said. "Kerry's attention to the college population is well deserved and forward-thinking. By showing interest he generates a reaction by students in return."
President of Tufts Republicans Philipp Tsipman, however, is more skeptical. He says Kerry will need more than a university tour to help him win votes in the Electoral College. "John Kerry is right to go after the college vote, which is up for grabs this year, but I doubt that he will be successful," he said. "[The Bush campaign's] outreach effort is very extensive. Not only does the College Republican National Committee have about 1,200 chapters now -- compared to the College Democrats of America's 200 to 300 -- but Students for Bush has a very strong following on many campuses."
Moreover, Tsipman says that the Harvard poll is only one side of the story. He cited a Zogby poll released on March 21 which showed that although the President's support has fallen, 51.9 percent of 18 to 24 year-olds support the incumbent, compared to 36.6 percent who support the Democratic candidate.
"Given that the poll results don't match up, I am somewhat skeptical about the percentages," Tsipman said.
Some students seem to be unclear on Kerry's position on political issues. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents in the Harvard survey could not give Kerry a rating on the issues, according to Davis.
Dreher explained the possible confusion over her candidate's stance. "Kerry is thoughtful and intelligent, so it is hard to boil down his plans, issues, and ideas to three-word sound bytes because he actually has substance and research behind what he says," she said.
Though he admits that some students may not know much about Kerry, Davis believes they are willing to give him a chance in light of the current administration's failures. "Students are growing dissatisfied with Bush because of the economy and the war in Iraq," he said. "Honesty in a political candidate is important for college students. It's the issue they care the most about. In fact, many [of the students polled] said they'd rather have a candidate that had a DUI to his record or was gay than one who lied on a r?©sum?©."
Several Tufts students believe Kerry's focus on college voters is a good move. "I think it's important that Kerry tap a resource that has been largely a non-factor in elections in the past. I think many college students who saw the debacle of 2000 are realizing the dangerous consequences of another Bush term and finally understanding the power they have to sway an election," sophomore Noah Fortinsky said.
Junior Jen Gehling says that the recent college campaign is not necessarily responsible for the statistical switch. "I think it's important for both of the candidates to spend time targeting the issues that are important to college students but I would say that John Kerry's rise in the polls and George W. Bush's decline is probably unrelated to Kerry's recent focus on college students," she said.
In addition, Harvard's poll gave interesting statistics -- including data which said that 41 percent of college students identified themselves as independent and more would rather have Bush as a roommate than Kerry.
