Obama urges Ohio college kids to vote

Associated Press

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio

President Barack Obama’s latest trip to Ohio wasn’t just about getting his message across. He wanted to make sure college students and 20-somethings are going to vote in big numbers, just like in 2008 when they backed him by a wide margin.

Students cut classes and stood in the rain outside the basketball arena at Bowling Green State University on Wednesday where Obama told them to register to vote.

“No excuses,” he said before heading to Kent State University for another rally.

At Kent State, Obama made a pitch for young people to register to vote.

A big part of Obama’s strategy in Ohio and other key swing states is reaching out college students who are concerned about the rising costs of education, job opportunities and paying off student loans.

His campus tour across northern Ohio on Wednesday generated a buzz at Bowling Green.

“It’s definitely raising awareness,” said Becca Schroeder, a freshman from Ottawa. “People my age need a reason to vote otherwise they’ll be too lazy and let it pass by.”

Most recent polls show Obama with a lead over GOP challenger Mitt Romney in Ohio, a state considered a must-win for both. Obama held a 53 percent to 43 percent lead over Romney in a CBS/New York Times poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University.

Michael Zickar, chairman of both the psychology department at Bowling Green State University and the Wood County Democratic Party, acknowledged that there was little excitement for Obama on campus up until the last few months.

Obama wants to make tax credits for college expenses permanent and expand Pell grants for students from lower-earning families.

Obama won two-thirds of the vote four years ago among college-age adults 18-24 and 18-29 years old, according to exit polling. In Ohio, young voters went more heavily Democratic than in any election since at least 1992.

But there are questions about whether young people are enthusiastic this time around and will turn out for Obama as in 2008.

Josh Prest, a 21-year-old political science major and former head of college Republicans at Youngstown State University, said he saw more political intensity two years ago during the Ohio governor’s race.

Why? “I don’t think anyone’s happy with either of the two candidates,” he said. “I know I’m not.”