A national survey of 1,200 undergraduates, as part of a recent study by Harvard’s Institute of Politics, found that a newly defined demographic, “Campus Kids,” can be a potent force in the 2004 elections.

Almost 3 in 5 undergraduates (59%) said they will “definitely be voting” in the 2004 general election. This translates to nearly 10 million voters and activists who can potentially change the course of the election.”Candidates who ignore or alienate this demographic group risk losing their elections,” said Dan Glickman, director of the Institute of Politics and a former U.S. Cabinet Secretary and member of Congress, in a recent article.

At Washington University, the College Democrats are not yet supporting any candidates, but plan to hold forums to educate students about the nine Democrats running for office. Eventually they want to mobilize support for a candidate to beat George Bush.

“People our age are fighting a war many students believe we should never have entered into or never have entered into without an international coalition,” said sophomore Nicole Soussan, president of College Democrats. “Our parents are losing their jobs and their investments, and we worry about the prospects of our future if more conservative justices are appointed to the Supreme Court.ÿThe political climate is directly affecting our lives, and students are mobilizing here and across the country to make a difference.”

Candidates are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of student voters and are organizing student support groups nationwide. One of the most visible organizations on campus is Students for Dean, a group that is attempting to generate excitement with meet-ups and grassroots support, strategies consistent with Howard Dean’s national campaign.

“We concentrate on the local level because we know the effects it can have,” said sophomore Katherine Ridgeway, president of Students for Dean. “The ‘Grassroots Challenge’ after the first meeting was for each member to talk to one person about Howard Dean. As the year gets started, we plan to talk to liberal groups on campus about Howard Dean so that they can be supportive and knowledgeable as well.”

According to senior Rachael Friedlieb, who works as an intern for Gephardt, the Gephardt Campaign is organizing a network of student interns, both past and present, at universities throughout the state of Missouri. They are currently planning the celebration of Gephardt’s official entry into the presidential race, which will come Sept. 30. They anticipate sending their volunteers up to campaign in neighboring Iowa throughout the fall.

Similarly, the John Kerry campaign is setting up Students for Kerry chapters at many universities and encouraging supporters in Massachusetts to help campaign in New Hampshire. There is currently no such organization at the University.

Jeff Smith, a political science Ph.D. candidate and advisor to the College Democrats, notes students’ involvement in the Dean campaign.

“Dean’s group appears to be particularly vibrant,” said Smith.

Smith said he feels that the rest of the Democrats have failed to create the same excitement.

“Kerry and Gephardt appear to have somewhat less energy at the grassroots [level] both nationally and locally, in spite of Gephardt’s local roots, and the other candidates, such as Graham, Lieberman, and Edwards, have not registered on the political Richter scale at [that level, either],” said Smith.

The survey disputes the widely-held belief that all college students are Democrats. The survey reports that 36% of students consider themselves liberal, 32% consider themselves conservative, and 29% of students describe themselves as moderates.

The College Republicans are also beginning to organize for the 2004 election. Senior Kelley Mesa, president of the group, said that they are currently concerned with increasing membership to build a strong basis of support for next fall’s general election.

“We are like the ground troops for campaigns,” said Mesa. “We do phone- banking and literature drops, which will not be worth the time or money until next fall.”

While Smith sees the University as being less politically active than other top tier Universities, he points out that small pockets of well-informed activist students have made an impact on past elections.

“In years past, students have had an impact…with their work on Bradley’s behalf in the 2000 presidential primary and also on behalf of Mel and Jean Carnahan in 2000 and 2002,” said Smith.

The Institute of Politics survey of 1,201 undergraduates across the United States was conducted April 22-30, 2003 and carries a margin of error of +/- 2.8% at the 95% confidence level.

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