The youth vote leaned toward Sen. John Kerry on Election Day in Michigan, but its impact on Michigan's slim Democratic majority on Nov. 2 is still being figured out.

In East Lansing, four precincts on campus reported about 73 percent of votes for Kerry, 25 percent for President Bush and 1 percent for independent candidate Ralph Nader.

City officials said several other off-campus precincts surrounding campus were predominately students. At three locations - Bailey Community Center, 300 Bailey St., Edgewood United Church, 469 N. Hagadorn Road, and Peoples Church, 200 W. Grand River Ave. - Kerry earned about 74 percent of the votes, while Bush received 25 percent. Nader earned 1 percent.

"There was significant Kerry support on campuses nationwide," said Brian McGrain, project manager of MSU's Tomorrow's Political Leaders Program.

"Was it enough statewide to tilt the results? I'm not sure," McGrain said. "It's a little too early to tell."

Kerry won Michigan, holding 51 percent of the popular vote, while Bush earned about 48 percent. Nationally, Bush received 51 percent of the vote and Kerry earned 48 percent.

Ingham County was one of 15 of Michigan's 83 counties that leaned toward Kerry. In Ingham County, about 57.8 percent voted for Kerry and 41.1 percent voted for Bush.

East Lansing City Clerk Sharon Reid said the youth vote may have played a role in the election, though results aren't clear yet. But students were excited this year, she said.

"I saw on the registration deadline day, they were lined up out the door," she said. "That shows some excitement. It shows some interest."

And for those who voted for Kerry and feel discouraged, Reid encouraged students to keep voting.

"Hopefully, this will be the first time (they voted), but they'll keep making a commitment," she said.

Official numbers for Michigan's votes will not be certified by the Board of State Canvassers until Nov. 22, but exit polls show the youth vote went for Kerry.

At the state level, 56 percent of people under 30 years old voting on Election Day said they were voting for the Massachusetts senator, said Ed Sarpolus, vice president of EPIC/MRA, a Lansing-based polling firm. About 43 percent went for Bush and 1 percent for Nader, he said of his unofficial poll.

Emily Morris, chairwoman of MSU Students for Kerry, said young people made the difference in the close Michigan election.

"The issues addressed this year in the election made more students come out to the polls - we've got a war, the economy," she said. "They felt this time to have their voices heard."

Morris said there is nothing for young Democrats to be disillusioned about, even though Kerry lost.

"We won our state and we worked hard," she said.

MSU Students for Bush Chairwoman Katie Allardyce said she thought young people had an effect on the election, but not as much as she hoped.

"We can still work on that age group," she said. "There's still some apathy."

National polls show voters between 18 and 29 made up about 17 percent of the vote, close to the 2000 proportion. A report released last week by The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement showed 4.6 million more young voters cast ballots this year than in 2000 and the voter turnout rate was up 9.3 percentage points to 51.6 percent.

Officials at the center could not be reached for comment Monday night.

Ingham County was one of 15 of Michigan's 83 counties that leaned toward Sen. John Kerry on Election Day. In Ingham County, about 57.8 percent voted for Kerry and 41.1 percent voted for Bush. Here are the numbers from East Lansing:

Source: Michigan Secretary of State