Joseph Learned Odenwald, 17, takes his right to vote seriously. &uot;I made the statement that I’d be willing to give up the keys to my truck for this election,&uot; he said, laughing.

A Huntington School senior, Odenwald couldn’t be happier his 18th birthday falls just before the Nov. 7 election day.

But, Odenwald may be one of only a few young voters in the Miss-Lou — and the United States — who are enthusiastic about the upcoming election.

Kristen Hall, 19, admits she does not have much interest in the election and doubts she will vote next month. &uot;I really don’t think about the government that much,&uot; Hall said. &uot;You hear older people arguing about it, but young people don’t really talk about it.&uot;

&uot;I’m not saying what we feel doesn’t matter,&uot; Hall said, but she believes politics will become more important as she gets older.

&uot;After I get out of school and start having kids,&uot; the issues will become important, she said. &uot;Because I know education is one thing they’ve been talking about, and I want my kids to have a good education.&uot;

According to a survey by MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation, only half of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 are registered to vote.

Of the 800 voters in that age group polled, 51 percent responded they probably would not even vote.

Darnella Burkett, 20, said she is not one of that number, but she knows many people her age who are.

Most of her friends disregard the election because schools do not adequately teach students about politics, and the students have not taken the time to inform themselves, Burkett said.

A first-time voter, Burkett said she is determined to make an informed decision.

She follows the campaign mainly through television and recalled a recent speech by Democratic nominee Al Gore on unemployment, which she sees as a top concern of voters her age.

While she is still considering both candidates, Burkett said she does not base her political views on those of her parents or family members, and she believes others her age will do the same.

Carolyn Clark, 22, credits much of her interest in the election to her uncle, but she also said she has her own ideas about the candidates.

On occasion, Clark said, she and her friends have political conversations, but she believes most young people are not as interested as they should be.

&uot;They don’t care and they don’t have a lot of time to make their own decisions,&uot; Clark said.

University of Mississippi freshman Jack Byrne, who was the first Natchez teenager ever elected Mississippi’s youth governor, is trying to encourage interest in voting at his school.

He worries not many of his classmates are interested in politics. For example, last year only about 23 percent of the student body voted for the student body president, he said. That may reflect how many students would be interested in national politics, he said.

&uot;I don’t think it’s any different,&uot; Byrne said. &uot;There’s not much interest in knowing what’s going on.&uot;

From talking to people, Bryne said he thinks &uot;the consensus is that it’s not interesting. It’s not exciting.&uot;

Byrne said he is unsure how to get more young people involved in politics.

&uot;It’s a question I’m sure&160;George Bush and Al Gore would like to have an answer to,&uot; he said.