A heavy turnout of young voters is expected this election.

To some extent, pollsters have found them difficult to track because they move often and use cell phones instead of land lines.

But voters younger than 30 comprise one-fifth of the electorate. More than 6.5 million young people participated in the presidential primary, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, also known as CIRCLE.

The Chicago Tribune notes that between 1972 and 2000, turnout among voters 18 to 24 dropped by 16 percentage points. The trend shot upward in 2004, with an 11 percent rise in youth voting. That is expected to continue. Interest among young voters in the 2008 election has been high.

Barack Obama has appealed to many young voters. A recent Gallup Poll showed 57 percent of registered youth voters supporting the Democratic nominee, with 37 percent backing Republican John McCain.

Volunteers seeking to get out the young vote will rely on technology to do so — text messages, instant messages or e-mail.

"It has put grass-roots organizing on steroids," said Sujatha Jahagirdar, director for the Student Public Interest Research Groups' New Voters Project.

Students face some registration difficulties in states like Virginia and Georgia where election officials have said registering at a college address could jeopardize financial aid or tax status. Voter identification laws in Indiana could make it difficult for out-of-state students as well, the Tribune reported.

Let's hope those difficulties are not insurmountable. It is a very healthy trend to have more young people exercising their right to vote.