With the persistent discussion of the importance of the youth vote in this year's presidential race, the spotlight is often focused on the voting trends of the college-aged population. This time, however, the Daily chose to examine the opinions of America's youth milling around the Gantcher polling station who are too young to vote. With the rise of YouTube.com coverage showcasing children's engagement in the election (i.e. the "You Can Vote However You Like" video, featuring schoolchildren doing their own politically-charged rendition of T.I.'s "Whatever You Like"), it appears that many children may be more informed and involved than their age indicates.
"It was cool to see my parents vote in an election, because I've never seen anyone vote before. [My siblings and I] weren't bored at all because it didn't take long — we're all excited for when we get to vote. I would have rather voted for Obama because I want a change in our system, but I don't mind that my parents didn't vote for him."
— An especially vocal child from a family of seven
"If I could've voted, I would have voted for Obama because he is a Democrat. I'm not registering here because I'm not from the United States; I'm from Denmark. I liked coming into the polling station because it was very interesting to see how it's all done here, it was my first time seeing people voting in real life. Before, I had only ever seen it on television. There was no line, so it took like two minutes."
— Anis
"I would've voted for Obama for President in this election because he's not like an old dude, and he's got some interesting ideas and a lot to say he seems more intelligent than McCain. I'm excited for when I get to vote."
— Eli
"This wasn't my first time [being present for] voting, I think I came back in September, when we went for the local elections. It was fun to come [to the polling station] because I got to fill in the bubbles! If I could've voted, I would have voted for Barack Obama because we're not very rich, and I think he would be a good President for us."
— Sanjay
