JOPLIN, Mo. — While student loans and financial aid aren’t their only issues, those concerns rank high with young and first-time voters, who are being courted by both parties in the countdown to the election.

Without student aid, Lacy Heiskell, of Joplin, said she wouldn’t be attending Missouri Southern State University. Last week, she helped with a voter registration drive on campus to encourage her peers to get out and vote.

The sophomore political science major said she hopes candidates are paying attention to those and other concerns.

Both parties are working to appeal to young voters, a group that normally doesn’t show strong interest in elections but did set a record turnout four years ago.

In 2008, young voters — those 18 to 24 years old — were the only group to show a significant increase in turnout, with 49 percent of those registered casting votes. That was up from 47 percent in 2004, according to U.S. Census Bureau. The Bureau also estimated voter turnout among young people in 2008 was the highest ever recorded because of voter outreach.

Despite that growth, though, turnout among young voters does not approach that of their older counterparts, either by percentage or numbers. For example, more than 72 percent of registered voters between the ages of 65 and 74 turn out to vote, according to the Census Bureau.

Questions about student aid and concerns about finding jobs could be the issues that push many young voters to the polls this year.

Heiskell said she doesn’t like Todd Akin’s proposal to drop federally backed student loans. Akin is the Republican candidate challenging incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill for seat in the U.S. Senate.

Akin, in a stop in Joplin last week, said he “didn’t oppose student loans, but does oppose government involvement in the program.

“They should be handled by the private sector,” he said.

McCaskill, meanwhile, has emphasized her support for an expanded Pell Grant program and favors college loans distributed directly from the federal government to students — a shift that she said would save billions and make more financial aid available.

Their differences come at the same time that a new study found student debt has stretched to a record number of U.S. households — nearly 1 in 5 — with the biggest burdens falling on the young and poor. The analysis by the Pew Research Center found that 22.4 million households, or 19 percent, had college debt in 2010. That is double the share in 1989. The increase was driven by higher tuition costs as well as rising college enrollment during the economic downturn. Across all households, the average outstanding college debt increased from $23,349 to $26,682.

Dillon Youngman, a freshman history major at MSSU, said that although he doesn’t have student loans, he recognizes the difficulty of getting an education without financial aid.

“I’m concerned about financial aid, tuition costs and the economy in general,” said Youngman, who plays baseball for MSSU.

Asked how he’ll vote in November, he offered a sports analogy: “When your team sucks, you fire the coach.”



Not ‘when’ but ‘if’

Jobs, the economy and political polarization also are on the minds of young people planning to vote in November, although many are still undecided.

Cory Garr, an international studies and political science major at MSSU, said the economy should be the major issue for both parties.  

Although the nation’s unemployment rate has dropped from a peak of 10 percent in October 2009, it is still at 8.1 percent, marking the 43rd straight month above 8 percent.

“It used to be when you graduated, you wondered where you’ll get a job. Now you wonder if you will,” Garr said. “My generation is facing tough times.”

Garr said he is frustrated by the polarization of politicians on the left and right and said both extremes will “have to come together” to fix the economy. That must include addressing the deficit, which is now more than $1 trillion annually.

“At home, we have to pay our bills; it should be the same with government.”

Jacob Rowe, a junior health promotions major at Southern, said he also worries about the deficit and how it might translate into higher taxes after he graduates.

“But I haven’t decided how I’ll vote; I’m still going back and forth,” he said.

Deontay Johnson will cast his first vote for president in about five weeks. He said President Barack Obama will get his support because he wants to make sure federal health care reforms are continued.

“It’s a good plan,” said the freshman political science major from Maplewood. “And I’m concerned about taxes and that my mother pays a higher tax rate than CEOs and Mitt Romney. That’s completely unfair.”

Amber Pollard, of Goodman, was among those who signed up to vote during last week’s registration event on campus, but said she has not decided who will get her support.

“I’m hearing Obama is going to take away a lot of our rights if he’s re-elected, but the other guy is probably just as bad,” she said.



Paying attention

Meleah Jones, the 22-year-old field director for the Akin for Senate campaign, said she believes young people are paying close attention in this election, bucking the perception that they are apathetic and indifferent.

“There are a lot of people my age, friends who know I’m politically active,” she said. “They’re saying they think it’s really important to vote this election. But every election is important, it can affect your future dramatically.”

Jones, of Webb City, covers a five-county area from an office in Joplin. A lifelong-Republican, she said she always has been politically active and remembers her first entry into politics at age 10, when she helped campaign for George W. Bush. She said the GOP reflects her beliefs on issues important to her.

“I want candidates who’ll protect life. And I’m worried about government growing so large that it takes control away from the people,” she said. “But I also think everyone needs to educate themselves on the issues and look at what everyone has to say on both sides of the aisle.”

Though she doesn’t think the turnout among young voters will be as large as four years ago, Jessie Beck also said young people are showing an interest in the campaign. Beck is president of the MSSU College Democrats.

She said Obama’s support for student loans — and his personal experience as someone who has used student loans — should make him much more appealing to young voters.

“Every single stage of life would be affected by what the Republicans want to do; from young people worrying about them eliminating the minimum wage all the way up to seniors , because the Ryan budget would gut Medicare,” she said.