Vote because it is in your interest to do so. That’s a good enough reason.

College students might have hoped to find at least a mention of higher-education issues like tuition costs and grant money during the presidential debate Friday. But not one question related to higher education was asked, and not once during the candidates’ discussion on education issues did they even approach higher education.

The Daily Egyptian reported Friday that higher education is not high on the list for President Bush or Sen. John Kerry as an election issue. This is understandable, given that terrorism and war are ultimately larger issues that trump many domestic concerns.

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But here’s another possible reason for the lack of interest:Only one in four Americans between the ages of 18 to 24 voted in the 2000 presidential election. Compared to the general population voting percentage of 45 percent, the voting percentage of young adults is dismal. Compared to Americans aged 65 to 74, who vote at a rate of 66 percent, it’s absolutely pathetic.

How do those percentages shape presidential campaigns? Put simply, candidates pay attention to the people who most impact their election prospects.

Social security, Medicare and primary and secondary education are always important issues because the candidates try to please constituent groups likely to vote, such as homeowners, the elderly, soccer moms and NASCAR dads.

This is not to say politicians ignore higher education. But the attention it receives may be based more on the electoral influence of parents whose children are college students or preparing to enter college than by the influence of young adults themselves.

In other words, politicians woo our parents while ignoring us.

The rationale some young people tend to offer is that voting is pointless because politicians don’t care about issues important to them. But it could easily be said that politicians don’t stress issues important to young people because they don’t vote.

It’s a vicious cycle, and the only way to break it is for young Americans to take voting seriously. Perhaps the argument that it is a civic responsibility is unconvincing, so we won’t preach about the virtues of civic engagement.

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How about this instead:Young people are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Young people are entering a shaky job market. Young people will have to pay down our massive federal deficit. Young people need quality health insurance.

Vote because it is in your interest to do so. That’s a good enough reason.

Young people have a stake in this election, and which candidate wins could have a meaningful impact on our lives. This presidential election is in a dead heat, and 20 million eligible 18-to-24 year-olds could tip the scales one way or the other.

That’s power – if it can only be harnessed.