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All four major presidential candidates have swept through the region in the last week, stopping at local college campuses and nearby venues in preparation for the Feb. 12 Maryland primary elections.
Candidates have taken a keen interest on young voters this year, a movement spearheaded by Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
The Illinois senator was the first candidate to hire a national director dedicated to gathering support among voters between the ages of 18 to 29.
New York Senator Hillary Clinton later launched the "Students for Hillary" campaign.
"It's not so much specific issues that are mobilizing young voters - other then the opposition to the war - it's the message of change and hope," associate professor of political science Donn Worgs said. "This has engaged younger people. It's a sign of transformation of politics. There is an enthusiasm that young people have grabbed onto."
Worgs, who teaches American government and urban politics at Towson, said with Maryland being predominantly Democratic, he expects the battle over the delegates from the Old Line State to be "highly contentious."
"What makes [this year] different is the level of competitiveness," Worgs said. "In past races there was a clear front runner and, to an extent, there were few other candidates in the races. It was pretty clear who was going to win."
Adding to the intrigue of the Feb. 12 Maryland primary elections are the diverse backgrounds of the four candidates on both sides of the ballot. With former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney bowing out of the race, the Republican underdog former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is viewed as the most consistently conservative candidate still standing. A veteran U.S. senator, John McCain, 71, received boos when he appeared before the Conservative Political Action Committee on Feb. 7, according to The New York Times, due to his cooperation with Democratic members of the Senate.
Either a female or an African American will gain the support of the Democratic Party, a first in either case. Adding to the plot in Maryland is the disparity in support between Clinton and Obama by political heavyweights in the state.
"Intriguing is the split in Maryland's Democratic Party, as the governor [Martin O'Malley] is supporting Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, while the Mayor of Baltimore [Sheila Dixon] is supporting Senator Barack Obama. And for other politicians to support either may be a slap at one of these significant political personages," Richard Vatz, a professor in the department of mass communication and communication studies, said.
National issues including the uncertainty of the economy, and international issues such as the war in Iraq, could lead to high turnout on Tuesday.
"Quite frankly, we hope to attract a lot of attention in the next week," state Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller told the Associated Press. "We are anticipating one of the largest turnouts in Maryland history."
Among the expectedly unprecedented turnout will be the youth vote that has been gaining momentum since the 2004 election. According the Center for Information & and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, there has been a vast increase in voter registration downloads among young people as compared to four years ago.
Fifty-one percent of registered voters, ages 18 to 24 cast ballots in the 2004 presidential election, according to CIRCLE. There are no records kept for primary elections.
Worgs anticipates a stronger turnout than usual due to the focus on young voters by this year's candidates. However, he predicts only about 25 percent will make it to the polls Tuesday. The prediction is greater than many results in earlier state primaries with New Hampshire's 43 percent turnout of voters 18 to 29 breaking the 25 percent threshold. Nineteen percent of voters in the same age in South Carolina turned out with exit polls showing 67 percent supported Obama.
"The youth vote has carried a lot of weight in the primaries so far," Sean Lawlor, co-organizing director of the Progressive Democrats of Towson, said. "Students are starting to realize that their voices can be heard."
--Nick DiMarco and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Republican presidential hopeful, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, informs students and supporters during his visit to the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008.
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