Does Alexi Giannoulias Have the Youth Vote?

I was deep into reading Alex Haley's "Mama Flora's Family" when I heard the three teenage boys shouting. It wouldn't have been something I'd have paid attention to, but I remember walking past them on the train. Decked out in hip-hop attire, appearing to be somewhere between 17 to 19, and talking about everything you'd assume a typical teenager would talk about, they stood by the el train doors looking bored until the Red Line train doors opened.

"Hey, that's him. Hey man, I know you. I seen you on TV and shit," one of them said.

I heard hands clapping like someone was shaking hands, and then I saw a witch run to the door. No, I'm not being funny.

She really was dressed as a witch for Halloween. She looked like she was in her 20s and was determined to make sure that door didn't close before she said what she had to say. "I absentee voted for you!" she yelled. I heard a "Thank you" reply.

I had to know who it was they were so excited about. It was Alexi Giannoulias (yeah, I kinda gave that away in the title, right?) But what fascinated me was not that he was chatting it up with people at the Belmont stop. It was the excitement from the younger crowd who looked at him and grinned.

"He reminds me of Obama," one of them said.

The way they reacted to the senatorial candidate was the same enthusiasm I saw during the presidential election two years before. When Giannoulias threw up the deuce sign when the el train doors finally closed, they threw it right back at him and gave him a nod. It was a subtle move, but it was one of those things that reminded me of Obama brushing his shoulder off. Giannoulias knew his crowd, and he knew how to connect with them if only to just say goodbye.

The guys weren't quite as hyper as the Grant Park crowd I walked through, but they were close enough. I remember taking photos of people on the Magnificent Mile who were beyond ecstatic about our president, but I can't recall ever seeing any Generation Y'ers before then this amped up to meet a non-presidential politician.

I know I paid more attention to the campaigning this year. I completed a freelance assignment for AC/Yahoo! News in August to report on what it's like to canvass. I attended a political event at Trinity United Church of Christ on Sun., Oct. 10 where representatives for the Chief Judge of Circuit Court, Comptroller, Treasurer, Cook County Board Presidents, Senators and Governors talked about why they should win. Unfortunately, neither senatorial candidates Mark Kirk or Alexi Giannoulias were there. They had to leave early for a "Meet the Press" event. But I learned enough about LeAlan Jones and Mike Labno to know who I wanted to vote for out of the four of them.

Actually, there were people I thought I was going to vote for during early voting that I didn't end up voting for because of that Trinity event. There were others I made sure to vote for who I previously had no desire to vote for. This was the first election that I voted for Green, Republican and Democratic candidates, and to be quite frank, I can count on one hand the number of Republicans I've ever considered voting for. I usually worry about Green party candidates taking votes and don't vote for them (even if I like them), but this time around there was a Green party candidate I absolutely want to win and said "Screw it. I'm voting for him anyway."

Regardless of what party you belong to, I'd be content that you (readers) just vote. Pay attention to everything that's been said--minus those incredibly annoying political commercials that remind me of high school bickering--and go to the polls. If we're going to complain about politics and talk about what needs to be done, make sure you can say you voted for somebody, too.

I've already been to the polls. Hope you're there on November 2nd.