Chelsea Clinton was back in the Tar Heel State Monday, campaigning on several college campuses for her mother, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
RALEIGH -- Chelsea Clinton was back in the Tar Heel State Monday, campaigning on several college campuses for her mother, Hillary Clinton. Chelsea spoke Saturday, as well, to North Carolina's Young Democrats.
Chelsea Clinton’s Monday tour included stops at N.C. State University, Peace College, and UNC Chapel Hill. Her plane was behind schedule, forcing students and Clinton supporters to wait more than an hour for her arrival.
Most didn’t mind waiting though for the chance to talk with the former, and possibly future, first daughter.
Jessica Jordan, a sophomore at Peace College, was one of them. At 20 years old, she is looking forward to voting in her first presidential election.
"I'm just excited to be able to have a say and put in a vote,” she said.
Danielle Cooper, a 20-year-old junior at Peace, was thrilled to have Chelsea Clinton come speak at her college.
“I think it's a great opportunity for the students here to be able to voice our opinions,” Cooper said.
Like Jordan, Cooper is also looking forward to her first time voting for a president. Both students are still undecided about who they'll vote for. To win their support, politicians are focusing on young voters and making a lot of campaign stops on college campuses.
“I think this is [about] my 90th college/university campus I will have been to in the last few months,” Chelsea Clinton told the Peace College crowd.
“College age voters, 18- to 24 year-olds, are making the difference in a lot of primaries across the country,” explained Jennifer Frye, Associate Director for Democracy NC. “The young voter turnout in many states has tripled or quadrupled from 2004 alone.”
Last year in North Carolina, there were 579,383 registered voters between the ages of 18 and 24. This year, 29,702 more voters registered in January and February.
Political experts say the surge of young voters started back around 2000. In the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, the Iraq War, and the struggling economy, young voters are paying close attention to national issues.
“Education,” Cooper said is one of the most important issues, “since I am a college student.”
“I really want to hear what they will do to fulfill the promises and fulfill the change,” Jordan said of the presidential candidates.
Political experts believe it may be these young minds, voting for the first time, who make the biggest difference in this year's election.
Experts also point out you don't have to be 18 to vote in the primaries. If you will be 18 in time to vote in the general election, you can go ahead and register and vote in the primary on May 6.
The deadline to register to vote is April 11. After that, you can register and vote at the same time during early voting, April 17 until May 3.