New political voices

Kyle Hickox was a political campaign pro before he was old enough to vote.

His 18th birthday was July 31, which was 16 days after the U.S. Congressional District 10 Republican primary election in which the candidate Kyle supported, Barry Fleming, lost to incumbent Paul Broun.

Kyle, an Evans High School senior and founder of the school's Teen Age Republicans, said liberal politicians in Washington motivated him to take a stand. Congress is broken, he said, and it needs new Republican leadership.

"I thought now was a better time than ever," Kyle said of his early involvement.

Kyle was 15 when he started following politics in the newspaper and listening to conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

"You have to learn about how the government works for it to work," Kyle said.

He's not alone in his interest. Young people are increasingly turning out to vote. According to Rock the Vote, a youth-focused nonpartisan political organization, the number of voters 18-29 years old increased 126 percent in Georgia and 42 percent in South Carolina in the presidential primaries, compared with the 2000 Republican primaries and the 2004 Democratic primaries.

Other teenagers, such as Kyle, have taken it a step further and become part of a political campaign.

The presidential election brought Rakiesha Lewis, 19, and Kaneeshia Walker, 18, to the Barack Obama volunteer team.

Ms. Walker said everyone wants to have a voice, "but they don't want to go out and make it happen."

The Evans High School Teen Age Republicans had 15 members last year, Kyle said, but the numbers are growing. The group's adviser, teacher Chris Powers, said within the first week of school, 20 students in addition to last year's members expressed interest in the club.

A presidential election may have something to do with it.

A black man running for president was what hooked Ms. Lewis and Ms. Walker, and issues discussed in the presidential election are more relevant than local politics, which they haven't been interested in.

"We still feel like it's not going to make a big difference for us," Ms. Walker said.

Mr. Obama's plans for education and health care are two items most important to Ms. Lewis and Ms. Walker.

The Paine College freshmen said their responsibilities as volunteers could range from answering phones and data entry to getting people to register to vote.

The women said Mr. Obama is the candidate they hear about most among young people, and the reason young people get involved.

"They want to be a part of history," Ms. Lewis said.

Reach Sarah Day Owen at (706) 823-3223 or sarah.owen@augustachronicle.com.