NORMAL - When it comes to casting an informed vote in this election, Central Illinois college students say their communities and the nation should trust them.

"(College students) are concerned about gas prices," said ISU student Rachel Farrer of Chicago. They also care about the economic crisis, the future job market, college affordability, the Iraq War, and other national issues, she said.

She and fellow student Scott Preston of Normal, both 21, will vote in their first presidential election on Tuesday. And each predicts a large turnout from their peers.

At the ISU campus, Farrer and Preston have spent this fall helping to organize the student-initiated Trust Me I'm a Voter campaign at the Normal campus.

The project's been a success, they say, in part because it's fit into ISU's already organized participation in the American Democracy Project, a nationwide effort aimed at making students more civically engaged.

The Trust Me group has organized numerous events, helped register voters on campus, and launched an informational Web site at www.trustus.info.

The results have been significant, said Jennifer McDade, who teaches ISU communication courses.

For the 2004 election, about 300 ISU students registered to vote locally. But this fall, 1,900 did, she said.

McDade credits the Trust Me program, as well as the university administration's support of the program. In particular, ISU helped deputize more than 60 students to help register new voters.

Preston said Trust Me is far more than a voter registration drive.

One part is registering voters, but that's followed by educating those people about the candidates' platforms and encouraging them to follow through and actually cast ballots, he said. Preston said he hopes the interest will continue through spring local elections, an area that historically hasn't seen high campus voter turnout.

On Tuesday night, students have organized a festive election night program. Beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Schroeder Hall's Room 138, they'll offer refreshments and large screens projecting national news coverage of the election returns.

The event is free and open to the public.

"It's a big party - to get everyone excited about voting," said Farrer.

Other area campuses also have kept presidential politics on the radar this semester.

At Illinois Wesleyan University, a student group helped educate students about absentee voting. This weekend, a group supporting Barack Obama is taking their message to Indiana, a potential swing state.

At Lincoln College in Normal, staff members helped to register more than 60 students, or 12 percent of students at the campus, said academic adviser Sally Pyne. She said most are first-time voters. The staff also helped explain absentee voting.

On Tuesday, campus shuttles will help student voters reach polling sites.

---

Election party

What: Public party for watching election returns

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Room 138, Schroeder Hall, Illinois State University