By Jenny Brundin
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kuer/local-kuer-762218.mp3
Salt Lake City, UT – Young voters in Utah say it's their duty to cast their ballots for the first time this November.
"I believe it's everyone's duty to vote. If you're not voting, you're acquiescing to whatever the leader of the nation wants to do. You're saying 'I don't care, do whatever you want to me,'" said Chance Crompton, a senior at the Rowland Hall-St. Marks School in Salt Lake City.
Students at the school were particularly interested in the candidates' stances on the issues, including the economy and the war in Iraq.
"Our economy is in serious trouble. The world is destabilizing. We're still in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Russia is engaging in power plays across the globe. Climate change is still continuing. I don't know how they're going to handle it, but either we're going to handle it, or we won't," Crompton said.
The historic candidacy of Barack Obama is also important to the students.
"If our country were to have an African-American president, a lot of other countries would look at us with more respect. We're not quite as intolerant as we're built up to be," said senior Shelley Miller.