NATCHEZ &045;&045; Debates, political ads and the media can all have a big effect on voters, but some young citizens say there’s one thing that carries more influence than all the others&045;&045; their parents.

Derrick Washington, a 24-year-old Co-Lin student, knows he’s going to vote on party lines in November, and that party was pre-determined.

&uot;That’s the way I was taught,&uot; he said. &uot;It leads to a special candidate.&uot;

Washington said he thought most voters were heavily influenced by their environment.

Kevin Lewis, 31, said being raised Republican has made him Republican.

&uot;It’s the way I was brought up,&uot; he said. &uot;It’s the way I was raised and the way my parents were raised.&uot;

Lewis said he wasn’t so sure that future generations were as prone to stick to their family teachings though.

&uot;Kids are more open-minded than they used to be,&uot; he said. &uot;Things like Fahrenheit 9/11 can change their mind.&uot;

Katina Jones, 20, said she thinks some are more influenced by their parents than others.

&uot;For some, it is the way you are raised,&uot; she said. &uot;You do what your mom did.&uot;

Though Jones tends to lean Democratic, the way her mother voted, she said she can see some Republican points-of-view that she agrees with. Still, she plans to vote Democratic.

The issues are what led Naquandria Williams, 19, to her voting choice, she said.

&uot;I don’t vote because anyone else votes, I just vote the way I want to,&uot; Williams said.

Chris McDonald, 22, said there was no point in him watching the recent debates or studying the issues in this year’s election.

&uot;I knew who I was going to vote for four years ago,&uot; he said.

Seniors in Margaret Green’s government class are really doing their homework this fall &045;&045; and not just what’s required for class.

Instead, students on both sides of the political fence are doing research on their own to become better informed on the issues and candidates’ positions leading up to next month’s presidential election.

&uot;Some of my students know more than I do,&uot; Green said with a laugh.

In class, students watched tapes of the presidential debates the day after they were aired and wrote their responses. They have just finished a unit on civil rights and, on Monday, will tackle the issue of mass media and its effect on public opinion.

Which is one factor Green said has spurred students to become engaged in campaign issues &045;&045; the mass media.

She pointed to movements such as hip-hop mogul Sean Combs’ &uot;Vote or Die&uot; campaign and shows such as Drew Barrymore’s voting special on MTV as avenues that have gotten young people more interested in the election.

Where else do students get their political opinions? From the circumstances they’re facing, for one thing. &uot;Since I have seniors in my class, they’re thinking about going to college, so they’re concerned with issues regarding education,&uot; Green said.

But never underestimate the power of parents’ examples. &uot;A lot of them are concerned about taxes &045;&045; and I know they’ve gotten that through their parents,&uot; Green said. &uot;They don’t know the joy of paying taxes yet.&uot;