TIPS FOR COVERING CONGRESS
By Claire Dunlay

Roll Call reporter Sue Davis today told Georgetown University journalism students that it takes diligence and patience to be a good political reporter. She also said it helps to have the right footwear.

"Wear comfortable shoes," said Davis, telling students how she spends most of her day on her feet standing in the hallways, chasing down members of Congress, racing from hearing to hearing, or even running into celebrities.

Davis said she starts her day by reading more than a half dozen newspapers, including what her competitors wrote in Politico, The Hill, and The Hotline. She also reads the Washington Post and New York Times. She likes to spend a good hour a day reading before she starts reporting.

Davis enjoys covering the politics on Capitol Hill, especially covering elections. She is the lead House reporter and covers both Republicans and Democrats. She also enjoys covering congressional ethics and likes a challenge.

With all the competition on the Hill, Davis still believes that her job is very exciting and rewarding. While House reporters are very competitive, Davis has become very close to her colleagues and enjoys every day that she goes to work.

THE EXCITEMENT OF VOTING HAS GOTTEN TO STUDENTS
By Claire Dunlay

Julia Atwater, a 17-year-old student from Baltimore, Maryland, never paid much attention to politics until she became eligible to vote and became more aware of what was going on in the United States.

“I want to see the terrorism policy and the war in Iraq changed,” she said as her opportunity to vote in the 2008 Presidential election neared.

Julia is not alone. Recent surveys show that teens are more excited about this presidential election and are more likely to vote than in any previous election. Kathleen Barr, a political strategist from Young Voter Strategies in Washington D.C., said that there could potentially be 44 million voters between the ages of 18 and 29 in this presidential election, a major jump from 20.1 million in the 2004 presidential election. (http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/217602.html)

Barr also believes the Iraq war and the September 11 terrorist attacks are factors that will bring more youth voters out on Election Day. An informal survey by students in a Journalism Workshop at Georgetown University found that 35.4% of young voters believed that the war in Iraq was one issue that was most likely to make them vote. The next highest issue was global warming where 13.5% of young voters say that it was an issue that was most likely to make them vote.

“Right now I think that the Iraq war, global warming, and international relations are the most pressing,” said Chris Gummerson, a senior at Roland Park Country School in Baltimore, MD.

Based on the informal survey done at Georgetown University, 40% of young voters identified themselves as Democrats. Experts say that this is because of the Iraq war. When filling out the interview questions, Gummerson identified herself as liberal.

Mary McClelland, a national field director for Young Voter Strategies, said that because young voters want a change they are supporting Democratic candidates. McClelland said that young voters are more liberal now than they ever were before.

McClelland also believes that young people are more enthusiastic about this presidential election because of the distinctiveness of the candidates. She said that this generation is the most diverse generation and is more willing to talk about diversity. The range of candidates in this election could also be the reason why more young voters are excited about the 2008 election and are more aware of the campaigns. In a recent poll done by the New York Times, 58% of young voters said that they were paying attention to the campaigns while at this point in the 2004 presidential election, only 35% of young voters did so. (http://www.democrats.org/a/2007/06/poll_young_vote.php)

Many young voters know what they are looking for in a candidate. “The candidates need to capture what America wants, but still be trustworthy enough to carry out what they promise,” says Payal Patel, a senior from Long Reach High School in Columbia, MD.

She is not the only one who knows what she wants from her presidential candidate. Based on the survey done by the journalism students at Georgetown University, 76% of young voters say that they follow politics and 75.6% of young voters said that they discussed politics at home with their parents.

Even though most teens are eager to vote in the 2008 presidential election, many feel that measures need to be taken to get teens to vote. Teens do not feel included in the candidates’ campaigns. In the Georgetown University survey, 80% of young voters had not been contacted by any campaigns. Many young voters feel action needs to be taken in schools to get more teens to vote.

“Get them more aware and involved in high school, have voting registration forms in classrooms for seniors and have people around college campuses with registration forms in various locations,” says Beth Sylvia, a sophomore at Towson University.

Atwater also feels that young people need to be encouraged to vote. “Make it clear to them how big they count,” she says. Sylvia, Atwater, and many others feel that if more information was given about the campaigns and the candidates, then more young people would be more likely to vote.

Even with the small amount of information given to young voters about the candidates, young people still feel that voting is important. A poll done by the New York Times showed that 77% of young voters said they thought the votes of their generation would have a great bearing on who became the next president.

No matter what effect the youth vote has on the Presidential election, to Sylvia, and many other young voters, voting is meaningful and thrilling. “I believe that as a citizen it’s my, I guess, ‘thank you’ to the government and to the country as a whole and figuring out which candidate will make the best president, so I can vote and have the best leader.”