Young Americans: Will They Vote?
Submitted on January 25, 2000 - 1:00am.
Evan Thies - Spring 2000
MANCHESTER, N.H. _ Abby Smagula is ready to vote and campaign for Bill Bradley in New Hampshire's primary Feb. 1 -- if she can get out of school early.
"He seems like such a down-to-earth guy," she said. "I shook his hand when he visited. I was pretty pumped."
With the nation's first primary approaching, young New Hampshire voters like 18-year-old Smagula offer unusual glimpses into young people's views of politics. As students in New Hampshire's largest city, she and her senior classmates at Manchester High School West are ardently pursued by candidates and their campaigns. And the majority -- 82.7 percent in a recent poll -- of West High's seniors say they will do something unorthodox: vote.
"He seems like such a down-to-earth guy," she said. "I shook his hand when he visited. I was pretty pumped."
With the nation's first primary approaching, young New Hampshire voters like 18-year-old Smagula offer unusual glimpses into young people's views of politics. As students in New Hampshire's largest city, she and her senior classmates at Manchester High School West are ardently pursued by candidates and their campaigns. And the majority -- 82.7 percent in a recent poll -- of West High's seniors say they will do something unorthodox: vote.
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