Heading to lunch, Community students pass by the table clad in motivational voting handouts with the occasional glance, point and comment. William V. Hampton, along with other members from Ann Arbor’s branch of the NAACP, have set up a table in front of the second floor ledge to offer eligible voters registration forms and encouragement to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Hampton, the president of the local association, feels that young voters need to participate in the government.

“The reason why I am here at Community is because, as the sign says, we want your first time [voting] to be special, and all of the people that we are registering to vote today, in all likelihood, if they vote in the general election, this is their first time voting,” said Hampton. “If you don’t vote, you can’t criticize what happens in the government.”

Pioneer senior Mitch Fehrle, who will be voting for the first time this year, agrees with Hampton.

“I think it’s extremely important [for young people to vote], because the habits you form now, in terms of understanding politics and understanding voting, is what you’re going to build on for the future,” said Fehrle. You can’t have a whole generation that just doesn’t vote.”

The U.S. Census Bureau found that the Millennial Generation, those who are ages 12-21, are calculated to be one third of the U.S. Electorate by 2015. From the 2000 to 2004 elections, there was a nine percent increase in the number of 18-29 year olds voting, from 15.9 million in 2000 to 20.1 million in 2004. During the 2008 primaries, turnout among 18-29 year olds increased more than 100 percent over the 2000 and 2004 primaries.

As one of the many first time voters around the country this year, CHS senior Cal Kirchen is ready to fill out his ballot come November. Despite having lived in Ann Arbor his whole life, Kirchen is positive that his liberal views would sbe intact even if he wasn’t here.

“Definitely living in Ann Arbor, obviously, has influenced my political decisions, but I’d like to think that I would have come up with this myself because I like to think that I’m a pretty liberal thinking fellow, regardless of where I live,” said Kirchen.

As for local influence, Fehrle also understands that Ann Arbor has inspired his political stance.

“I definitely feel that I’ve received a more open view of politics rather than just one side or the other,” Fehrle said. “I think Ann Arbor does lean more liberal, but I feel like it also causes you to have your own opinions, so that even kids who aren’t necessarily liberal or Democratic do still have strong opinions.”

Fehrle has done research for the election using his remote control.

“I’ve used mostly television, which isn’t always the best, because [the news channels] tend to be skewed. I’ve watched Republican and Democratic stations, trying to get the whole feel for what each one has to say. I’ve done a little bit of internet research, but mainly just television,” said Fehrle.

Kirchen takes pride in being politically well-informed through one of the most popular ways of gaining knowledge for a young adult. “I would say I follow social media. I follow the Huffington Post quite a bit, and also some other websites. I stay informed; I listen to NPR and the radio, and avoid Fox News as much as I can. I would like to think that I am the reason that I have stayed informed,” said Kirchen.

One organization has recognized fresh voters like Kirchen’s love of social media. Motivating young people to be apart of the upcoming elections, Rock the Vote describes themselves in the following: “Rock the Vote’s mission is to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country. Rock the Vote uses music, popular culture and new technologies to engage young people to register and vote in every election.”

And they have. Joining up with popular companies like Pringles, Spotify, MTV and XBOX, Rock the Vote is getting a boatload of attention. They’ve also teamed up with artists like Switchfoot, Far East Movement, Sheryl Crow, and The Black Keys, and made commercials with such names as Miranda Cosgrove, Miley Cyrus and Darren Criss.

Kirchen understands that, while things like friends and social media will try and influence the opinions of vulnerable voters, each individual still has reign over their views.

“I think it’s impossible to say that people around you don’t influence your day-to-day life,” he said. “It’s important to stay opinionated, and to make your opinion your own. You can’t let people influence you too much, and you have to really think about how you feel, and not how others feel around you.”