DECATUR - There have been presidential elections that failed to excite young voters, but this year's is not one of them.

Students at Millikin University, many of whom are voting for the first time, said the buzz throughout campus is that this election is important, and everyone should take part.

"A very large percentage of Millikin students are voting," said Maggie Strong, 19, a sophomore who works the University Information Center desk.

Strong said she hears a lot of conversations about the election but not so much about the candidates. She had heard more about the basic logistics, such as where and when to vote, and how to get there.

She and others said many students are keeping their preference to themselves, rather than wearing their choice on their lapels or bumpers.

"A few people, a small percentage, are openly advocating for a candidate," said Strong, a music education major from Champaign.

Heather Bulthuis, a freshman in communications, said she has heard more students supporting Barack Obama than John McCain, but she has heard more talk about the issues, such as the affordability of college.

"We have a war going on, and our economy is not that great," Bulthuis said. "It is important to get our opinions and views out there. I think almost everyone I talked to is voting."

Nick Polley, a freshman in physics, agreed that students are engaged. The talk he's heard on campus has been about equally divided for the two presidential candidates.

"Everyone cares," said Polley, who cast his vote early in his hometown, Rochelle. "Back home, I would get in some yelling fights with my friends. That's not too much fun. I'm on Obama's side."

Freshman Meghan Walsh said she has done enough research to make an informed decision.

"It's been a hot topic," said Walsh, an art therapy major from Bourbonnais. "A lot of people talk about it at meal times. Debates can get heated, but not vicious."

Walsh has noticed a lot of Obama buttons on campus but has heard some students were still undecided.

She does not believe voting is an option.

"It's going to affect their future," Walsh said. "If you have a chance to voice yourself, you have to."

Macon County Clerk Steve Bean said several hundred Millikin students vote in Decatur, while the majority must be registering at their permanent addresses.

"The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled a student can register to vote at their hometown or their university," Bean said.

While the Millikin students seemed to make a difference in a Decatur school referendum that they strongly supported a few years ago, Bean said their relatively small numbers tend to dilute their effect during a national election. That should be especially true this year, with a record turnout expected.

"This is one of these elections that happen every 20 years or so that bring out a lot of people," Bean said, adding that the 1992 and 1960 elections also filled the polling places. "There seems a bigger groundswell of excitement throughout the electorate. It's one of these elections that people are excited on both sides."

hfreeman@herald-review.com|421-6985