1. It's your political voice. Use it. While it's unlikely that your $25 campaign donation is going to make the candidates especially interested in what you have to say, your vote might actually mean something to them. Classic grassroots theory: if we all band together and prove that young people do--in fact--vote, you'll start noticing some pandering and catering to our audience. 2. Prove the critics wrong. It is a well known and well tested hypothesis: young people are very vocal and active leading up to elections, but they rarely follow through to the voting booth. If the numbers this year don't reflect active participation by the youngest voters, it's hard to gain legitimacy and respect by political parties and candidates. Put your vote where your mouth is. 3. Decide this election. College students and recent grads hold the cards this year. Our presence on Nov. 4th will determine the historical outcome. How embarrassing to think that all of the chatter about youth...

by Laura Fitzpatrick @ TIME "Every presidential election finds college students wading through a swamp of murky laws and logistical hurdles to get into the polling booths. But this year, amid students' record interest — and record primary turnout — experts say many campus precincts are sorely unprepared to meet student demand. And laws passed after the 2004 election, ostensibly to clamp down on voter fraud, could cause a slew of new problems that disproportionately hit student voters. Which means the question in 2008 isn't whether young voters deliver. "It's can the young voters deliver?" says Matthew Segal, executive director of the Student Association for Voter Empowerment. The most glaring problems come from lack of preparation. Segal fears not much has changed since his experience as a freshman at Kenyon College in 2004, during the closely contested Ohio race. He manned the 10-hour polling lines on campus, dispensing water, pizza and umbrellas to the stalwarts who stuck...

With polls showing the presidential candidates neck-and-neck for the win in November, the youth vote could really "rock" the establishment. What attracts these voters, anyway? Is it Vote or Die t-shirt ads? Celebrity endorsements? The use of New Media has emerged as a powerful tool for a generation born and raised in the Internet Age. From Will.I.Am's popular YouTube video endorsing Obama, to both campaigns use of text messaging, the election has moved into our digital and mobile lives in a big way. MTV's popular Rock the Vote initiative even publishes a pamphlet on the subject for candidates. Tips include: 1. Run your own online voter registration campaign with free web tools. 2. Buy targeted online advertising, particularly search, to drive online voter registration. 3. Remind your supporters of registration deadlines and Election Day via ads, email, and text messaging. 4. Get personal via social networks. 5. Simple, clear advertisements perform best; test...