Young voters swarm Iowa caucus precincts

More than a decade has passed since university classes have been in session during Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, and students who participated Monday said having everyone back on campus definitely drove up turnout.

'I don't think I would have caucused at home, but this is really convenient,” said University of Iowa junior Josh Hannam, 20, from Dubuque. 'I live like a minute from here.”

Locations across Iowa's college campuses were packed with caucus first-timers, eager to participate in the historic event, interested in observing the process and - in many cases - passionate about the issues and the candidate choices.

Lines to register at Iowa Memorial Union caucus sites on the UI campus stretched hundreds back just 15 minutes before 7 p.m. - when the caucuses were scheduled to start. One campus site was so crowded students spilled into the hallway and complained about not being able to hear.

'There has been a lot of talk on campus,” UI freshman Alexis Brannan, 18, said about the big turnout.

Brannan and two friends went to the IMU on Monday to caucus for Republican candidate Ben Carson, whom they said 'has a general respect for people that (Donald) Trump lacks.”

They initially ran into an intimidating line of students planning to register, and confusion about whether they were in the right place. But once in, Brannan said she was fascinated by the process - even though her precinct went to Sen. Marco Rubio.

'My first thought was definitely that it was more of an informal process than I thought it would be,” Brannan said. 'That was shocking.”

UI freshman Abby Gorsche, 19, of Johnston, viewed her decision to caucus Monday as an obligation and opportunity.

'Growing up in Iowa, you don't feel that important,” Gorsche said. 'But the whole country is watching this. And you can feel the buzz in the air.”

Similar scenes unfolded at Iowa's other public universities. Iowa State University student leaders reported campus caucus sites packed with young voters wearing candidate T-shirts and stickers. University of Northern Iowa students said they experienced bigger-than-expected turnouts - with more than 140 people packing one site near campus.

'Because everyone was back in town, they all had their friends to go with them, and there was a great turnout,” said Meredith Miller, chairwoman of the UNI College Republicans. 'We underestimated the amount of people.”

Unlike this year's Feb. 1 caucus, the last two presidential caucuses in 2012 and 2008 occurred Jan. 3 - before most of Iowa's college-aged students started back to class after winter break.

'I think it's been very helpful to have student groups coming out from all different directions saying, ‘Get out there and caucus,' ” said UI senior Janelle Smithson, 22, chairwoman of the UI College Republicans.

ISU senior Brittany Gaura, chairwoman of the Iowa State College Republicans, said she didn't know what to expect heading into Monday night. Her group had hoped for a big turnout among students, distributing fliers that outlined how to caucus and where.

But some were intimidated by the process, and Gaura said she wondered if that would matter. It didn't.

'We had 182 turnout at my precinct - more than in years past,” she said. 'That was more people than we expected.”

Gaura went to the caucuses supporting Rubio and was glad to see him take her precinct, adding, 'I feel like Marco really won over the college students.”

'I love what he has to say about colleges and how he understands and had to pay off student loan debt,” she said. 'He understands the struggles we go through, but also understands that college cannot be free.”

Although Trump was polling in the lead among Republican candidates heading into Monday night, Gaura said she hadn't heard much support for him on the Iowa State campus.

'I don't really understand the whole Donald Trump situation,” she said. 'He tends to be more of a media star than a politician.”

Martha Hedberg, chairwoman of the Johnson County Democrats, said her organization put a lot of effort into encouraging participation among younger voters - not just among college-aged students but high-schoolers as well.

Iowa law allows anyone who is 17 and six months to participate in the caucuses because they'll be old enough to vote in the general election in November. Both parties in recent months hosted mock caucuses in high schools across the state, and Hedberg said she wouldn't be surprised if that increased turnout among that age group Monday.

'That got some high school students fired up,” she said.

Isabelle teDuits, 17, is a City High senior, who caucused with her parents Monday at a Republican site in Iowa City. She said plenty of her friends were planning to do the same, viewing it as a big opportunity and also an obligation.

'I think we are getting involved because we are now allowed to be involved,” she said. 'It's the first time we have been able to make a difference.”