From CNN's Campbell Brown:
In this election, young voters have been the toast of the town.
As pundits have told us, they will be turning out this year in record numbers. And if Democratic candidate Barack Obama wins, it will be the youth of this country who gave him the presidency.
Or it won't -- because early evidence suggests that young voters just might do what they always do: blow it off, stay home, space out and get a better offer.
In Florida, where early voting has been under way for 11 days, The Orlando Sentinel has been crunching the numbers. And guess what they found: People younger than 35 are so far the worst performing demographic group among the early voters
It's not just Florida. Gallup's daily tracking poll shows a similar trend nationally. Based on interviews they've conducted over the last few weeks, Gallup concluded there is scant evidence to suggest we are going to see a real game-changing youth turnout.
So what is happening here? All those seemingly hyper-enthusiastic stars of Youtube.com videos pledging to change the world, where are you? Are you really going to own this election?
Quite possibly, says one political scientist. Think back to your college days. You're cramming for a final, you procrastinate. But in the end, on exam day, you will show up. Or will you?
Link to Video
Ok, youngins, listen up. This isn't some exam. This is your future, our future, the future of this country and the world. One of the most inspirational parts of this movement has been seeing the enthusiasm and dedication of this country's younger people. From the crowds at rallies, to the campaign staff and volunteers. But all of this means absolutely nothing if you stop at the five yard line doing a victory dance while the other team steals the win.
I've seen stories of the elderly standing hours and hours in line to make sure their voice was a part of this historic election. I read a story of an 109 year old daughter of slaves casting her early vote. I read a story of a woman dying of cancer making sure her absentee ballot was in before she passed. Don't you DARE let them down.
From the very beginning, the pundits and blowhards have been saying we can't trust the youth of this country to show up when it matters. Don't you DARE prove them right. Not this time. This is too damn important, and you know it.
The world is watching us now. We can't do this without you.
Maybe some of you weren't even involved in this campaign early on in the primary. If not, let me remind you of New Hampshire. The polls had Obama at a double digit lead up to the night of the election... and Hillary Clinton won. Remember that? Well, Obama had plenty of time to come back. Not so now. This is it.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, more important in your life right now than this election. It may be the most important thing you ever do. I don't think I need to tell you what your future will look like with McCain/Palin in the White House.
If you haven't voted early, today is the last day here in Florida. Go to www.voteforchange.com to find out the date, time and location in your area.
If you have early voting in your state, do it now! If not, please, PLEASE, get to the polls on Tuesday. Camp out early if you have to. Report any problems you run into to the poll workers. You should also call the Obama Voter Protection hotline at 1-877-US-4-OBAMA (1-877-874-6226). Remember to store the number in your cell phone (you might want to do that now). Make sure you have proper identification with you.
Please don't let Senator Obama down. Please don't let this country down. Please don't let the world down. As Barack has said from the beginning, "The times are too serious. The stakes are too high."
This is your time.
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