Ready! Set! Vote! This is what all American citizens are getting ready for with the upcoming November election. It’s a known fact that Sen. Barack Obama is going against Sen. John McCain. They both would make history by becoming president. McCain would become the oldest president and Obama would become the first African American president. So whom will young voters vote for?

The issues that are important to the young voters include: health, war, education, and poverty. How the candidates stand on these issues will affect how young voters will vote.

Young voters believe in Obama because they are tired of war and Obama says he will bring the troops back. “War has caused the loss of money that could be used on other things like health,” said Sandeep Sunny, 21, a biochemistry major at SF State.

Others support him because he wants better funding of education. “A lot of people are not getting the education that they need,” said Rashika Chaudhary, 21, an intern at Juvenile hall. She is also concerned about the issue of poverty. “Poverty is a huge thing in the U.S. even though the U.S. has the money to help everyone,” she said.

Others don’t believe Obama means change. “McCain has many years of experience and Obama does not,” said Pamela Duran, 21, a political science student, who is in the Republican Youth Majority and a McCain supporter. “He attracts many young people, but he is not ready,” she said.

Other factors influence their voting opinions like their mentors, family and U.S. history; for Chaudhary, it was her teacher. “I had a government teacher and he said, ‘It’s your generation, your vote. You make the change,’” she said. For Donya Disperata, 23, a student in sociology it was her family. “When I was 18 my family wanted me to vote and from there I started voting,” she said. Eileen Custodio, 22, a psychology major, said Sept. 11 changed her. “The 9/11 events were a big thing for me,” she said. “It was shocking for the U.S. and caused awareness.”

Youth opinions are not that different from older generations. “John McCain is insane. I don’t know why he is in the ballot, but I guess they have to put someone on the ballot,” said Frank, 58, a retired activist from the Green Party.

Some believe Obama is responsible for the attraction of young voters. “I think they are very excited that a man of color or woman could be in the white house for the first time,” said Lauren Moret, a teacher at Aptos Middle School. “They really like to see someone who represents them, and a white male doesn’t do that.”

So whether you think Obama rocks or that McCain is awesome, show that you care about the country. Show support and interest no matter what you believe. This is our future!