Iowa High School Students Rock the Caucus

Rocking the vote means finding new voters to participate, and the Guitar Hero set was one primary target in Iowa.

Nearly 300 students from West Des Moines' Valley High School and other nearby high schools stayed after class Thursday to attend one of two Rock the Caucus events held in the city.

The events, sponsored by Rock the Vote, targeted seniors and juniors eligible to caucus, and aimed to persuade them to vote through raffles, pizza, and information on where their caucus location was.

About 60 student volunteers helped organize the event and bring in student crowds to compete on Guitar Hero tournaments and film public service announcement spots explaining why they think caucusing is important.

"The event is great because otherwise a lot of students at our school wouldn't know anything about the election," sais Brittany Brody, 17, a Valley senior. "It makes it cool."

While some students were still on the fence about their caucus decision Thursday afternoon, others had clear and articulate explanations for the choice.

"I think a lot of people are pushing the war, but health care is an important issue for me," said Riley Gardam, 17, a Valley senior who was planning to caucus for Democratic nominee John Edwards. "It's really sad the state our health care system is in."

Dillon Hughes, a Valley junior, said he had a candidate in mind for a while, but looked at several before making his final decision.

"I decided to go with Barack Obama, because he has the most to offer America," Hughes said. "He's a lot different than what we have now."

His twin brother, Logan, wasn't planning on attending the same caucus Thursday. Logan said he chose to support Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani after considering how he has performed in difficult situations, such as his work after Sept. 11 and as mayor of New York.

Heather Smith, executive director for Rock the Vote, said she was pleased with the turnout, which reflects the growing number of politically involved youth in the U.S.

"If we keep showing up in record numbers, the candidates won't have any choice except to listen up, and the candidates are beginning to understand that," Smith said.