Youth movement at DNC

There are 56 Iowa Delegates to this convention; eight of them are under the age of 30. Party leaders say it’s part of an effort to encourage younger Iowans to vote. Forty-four percent of Iowans between the ages of 18 and 24 voted in the last presidential election, but that’s below the participation rate of older Iowans. Nineteen-year-old University of Iowa student Megan Heneke of Spirit Lake hopes to help change that statistic, as she’s just been elected president of Iowa Young Democrats. Heneke says the number of 18- to 29-year-olds who participated in the Iowa Democratic Party’s Caucuses this past January quadrupled when compared to four years ago, and one reason is that kids are concerned about things like the environment, getting an affordable college education and ensuring the safety of friends who’re serving in Iraq. Heneke has helped other candidates run for office, but she plans to be on the ballot herself some day. Twenty-year-old Grinnell College student Grant Woodard grew up in Stratford, Iowa, graduated from Webster City High School and just this week was elected president of National College Democrats. Woodard says just 40 states have local College Democrats chapters, and he hopes to get one chapter in all 50 states by September 1st. Woodard says recent studies have shown young adults are more interested in this election than they have been in the past, and his goal as leader of the campus-movement is to build on that. Woodard has been involved in grassroots organizing before. Woodard helped launch chapters around the country when he was a member of Young Democrats of America during his high school years. His interest in politics led him to help out on the Kerry campaign in Iowa, and Woodard sometimes found himself driving the candidate. The Iowa kids at this convention got to glimpse a star yesterday when actor Ben Affleck paid a visit to the Iowa Delegation. Teenage sisters Chanon and Candace Opstvedt of Story City were still excited an hour after seeing Affleck. “AAAAHHHHH!” the sisters screamed afterwards in a hotel elevator. “He’s, like, just as good looking in person as he is…” said one. “He’s tall,” said the other, interrupting. “Nice, and what can you say about him. He’s good looking, ” said the younger girl. “He encourages young voters and that’s especially important to us,” said the older sister. “And he’s a democrat.” And the sisters’ closing sentiment: “We could go home now and be happy.” Delegates must be 18, and the teenagers who won’t reach that milestone by the November election have participated in a youth caucus in Boston. The Iowa delegation has two teenagers working as pages, doing the running and fetching on the convention floor.…………