Although presidential elections are still a ways down the road, some candidates already have a strong base of student voters. Among the masses is junior Molly Kawahata, who was recently appointed High School State Director for Barack Obama's presidential campaign geared towards high school students.

The largest group supporting Senator Obama is Students for Barack Obama, a national organization that began in 2006 as a small Facebook group. According to The Boston Globe, 49 percent of voters ages 18-24 cast their votes in 2004. The percentage climbed from 40 percent in 2000, showing the importance of gaining the votes of this vital demographic.

Students for Barack Obama is the student branch of Obama for America, the senator's official campaign. Kawahata is in charge of the California high school branch of the organization. As High School State Director, her job is to spread the word about Obama to high school students who will be eligible to vote in 2008.

Currently, she has two main projects. "Right now I'm working on creating a branch of the campaign in Palo Alto, while also working with the state team on the overall direction of the campaign for California," Kawahata said. She focuses on planning specific campaigns at high schools throughout the state, as well as serving as a bridge between student voters and campaign officials.

One of Kawahata's main reasons for supporting Obama is his attention towards younger voters. "He is the only candidate who has an entire wing of his campaign dedicated toward students," she said.

As Assistant Principal Kim Cowell explained, working on a campaign can help students broaden their horizons. "Involvement in a political campaign or movement provides an opportunity to view their community, state and country from a broader perspective," she said.

Kawahata loves her job despite the large time commitment it demands. "I would be at my desk doing work for the campaign and look up and be amazed that it was so much later than I thought it was, but it never feels like a chore or a burden of work I have to get done because I love it, so it doesn't really exhaust me," she said.

Getting the job wasn't easy. Kawahata recalls her experience when she was originally applying for High School State Director. "I went through an interview for about two hours with the State Director," she said.

Junior Fiona Wilkes has also applied for work on the campaign, and her reasons for doing so are far from just gaining work experience. "I'm interested in political affairs, and it's important that we are involved in the world that we live in," she said. "From there, I decided Barack Obama was the best candidate for the job."

Students interested in applying for positions in the Palo Alto chapter or in the state branch should e-mail studentsforbarackobama.hs.ca@gmail.com.