How're Utah's new voters going to vote?

What better day than Election Day to ask teens their concerns about their country and its presidential race?

According to a Gallup Poll Tuesday briefing released in mid- October, teens across the country think terrorism and the war in Iraq are the two most important issues facing the United States today. Nineteen percent of teens responded with one of those two topics when asked an open-ended question about the most important issues.

Smaller numbers of teens mentioned such social issues as homelessness (5 percent), or such economic issues as inflation (4 percent) and unemployment (2 percent).

Teens who identified themselves as Republican were more likely to see terrorism as the most important problem -- 28 percent of Republican teens vs. 15 percent of teens who said they would vote for a Democrat if they were old enough to vote.

In Utah, Pulse reporters searched their high schools for 18-year- olds and asked them if they were going to vote. If they said "yes," they were asked whom they want for president and why.

"No. Because it doesn't matter, because Utah's dominantly Republican, so Bush is going to get the electoral vote either way, so it doesn't matter if I vote or not." -- Jordan Guillory, senior, Juab High School

"I'm voting for John Kerry because I feel that President Bush has been really dishonest. (He) hasn't done his job to the effect that he should, and I feel like if he was put in office again more problems would come and John Kerry could change some of those problems around." -- Celia Schmutz, senior, Timpview High School

"Yes, I am registered. I'm finally at the age where I can vote, and I think it's important and as a citizen of the United States it's our duty to pick a president. By watching the presidential debates and learning about the candidates from the TV and the Internet and what they think about certain issues, I'm voting for President Bush because I like his ideas about things and would feel safer with him as president." -- Devin Belliston, senior, Juab

"I'm voting for Kerry because I think he knows what's better for the nation. He's going to create more jobs than George Bush." -- Felicia Romney, senior, Murray High School

"I think I'm going to vote for Bush, because I think he's a good president and he's had a hard time (these) last (few) years and he did a good job. He improved the economy, he helped with some problems in other countries, and I think that is very important." -- Naty Flores, senior, Timpview

"This year I will be voting for Senator John Kerry because I believe that his tax policy is much better than that of President Bush. (Bush's) has too many faulty ideas that have not been fulfilled in the last four years and I believe when it comes to intelligence that John Kerry towers over George Bush." -- Matthew Kearney, senior, Timpview

"I'm voting for Bush because I think that he is a morally good man." --Lori Healey, senior, Timpview

Coryn Cope is a senior at Timpview High School, Nick Parker is a senior at Murray High School and Caitlin Holladay is a senior at Juab High School. All are members of the Deseret Morning News Pulse team of high school writers. If you are a Utah high school student and have a topic you would like to see covered, please e-mail pulse@desnews.com or write to Susan Whitney at the Deseret Morning News.

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