A New Voting Bloc Gets Attention in Iowa

We've all heard about the influence the social conservatives are having on the Republican polls in Iowa. And we've heard about the influence they presumably will have when the caucuses are held in 11 days.

Now, CNN reports on another voting bloc that candidates need to be aware of -- the youth vote and the influence it could have on the Democratic side.

According to CNN, the top three Democrats -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards -- have been actively courting young voters in Iowa. The state's election law says people as young as 17 may participate in the caucuses if they will be 18 by the time the election is held in November. And people from out of state may participate if they are attending college in Iowa.

So the target group is larger -- and more diverse -- than you might expect in a state in which the population is more than 90% white.

But the drawback, as CNN observes, is that younger people haven't proven to be reliable caucus-goers in the past -- and the fact that the caucuses are being held when most colleges are still on winter break means the younger voters aren't centrally located, as they would be if classes were in session.

That makes it more difficult to do the things that can be done to get people out to participate. In some instances, the out-of-state students won't be in Iowa in time to attend the caucuses, and they can represent an important part of a candidate's equation.

Turnout rate among young voters hasn't been good in the past, but activists, including young activists, who spoke with CNN insist 2008 will be different.

We'll see.