By many accounts, it was the youth vote that determined the outcome of the Iowa caucuses last month.

Turning out in record numbers, young people under 30 made up 22 percent of caucus voters, helping to lead Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee — the youngest presidential candidates in their respective parties — to victory. In New Hampshire, youth turnout hit a record 43 percent.

This trend could mean a shift in power as a new voice emerges at the polls. Often chided as apathetic or uninformed, young people are demanding that their voices be heard in the 2008 presidential primaries.

In Napa, this could mean a surge in Democratic and independent voters, and an emphasis on the candidates’ stands on foreign policy, environmental issues and education.

It could also mean an extra vote or two for Obama.

Tessa Levin, a senior at New Tech High School, is voting in her first election today, and while she admits she doesn’t know much about the other candidates, Levin is convinced that Obama should represent young people in the White House.

Napa High senior Damiano Marchetti said he will vote for Obama. He planned to vote for former Sen. John Edwards, who dropped out of the race last week, and “Clinton seems like a lot of the same to me,” he said. By default, that leaves Obama.

It’s a common sentiment among young Napa voters, say students: First-time voters tend to be more liberal, and for those who simply don’t like Clinton — even if they can’t put their finger on why — Obama becomes the next best choice.

Reid Weber, a senior at New Tech, said he supports Obama because “I haven’t liked Hillary Clinton for a very long time. “There’s no “genuine reason for it.”

But Anthony Kozlowski, also a senior at New Tech, said he doesn’t want to “vote for the most popular candidate” like “most kids my age.”

“When I look at the candidates, I want to make the most informed decision possible,” he said. For him, that means a vote for Clinton.

Jessica Witt at Napa High said she’s voting for Clinton. “I’ve loved her my whole life,” Witt said.

Whether it’s Obama or Clinton, most students vote for Democratic candidates.

“Three to one is probably about right,” said Napa High senior Kyle Tunnell, in regards to the Democrat to Republican ratio at Napa High. “Most of us are pretty liberal.”

Students at New Tech say they register primarily as Democrats or independents. Levin believes that’s because most students see flaws with both major parties.

It’s easy to generalize, but Kozlowski said location has as much to do with political opinions as age. Marchetti agrees, noting that even in Napa, prevailing political attitudes can vary from school to school.

But Weber believes preference is more complicated than just geographical location, pointing out that young Democrats tend to be more vocal about their political affiliation than young Republicans.

Charlotte Tyran, a senior at New Tech, said she plans to register as a Republican in time for the November election, and supports Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. But if she made that known to her peers, she said, “I would probably get shot down.”

“I figure I might as well just keep my feelings to myself,” she said.

The difference for young people, however, is that loyalty to a political party is not paramount. Some key issues for first-time voters in Napa follow party lines, said students, but others appeal to all young voters, regardless of their political affiliation.

Among them, education and environmental policy are of particular importance, said students.

While debate ensued among students about taxes, foreign policy and the role of the government in matters like gay marriage and abortion, nearly all agreed that the environment and education should be considered top priorities.

“I’m a die-hard environmentalist,” said Kozlowski. “Global warming is a threat and it needs to be addressed soon. And as for education, it’s obvious. The state of education has degraded seriously, we’ve fallen on an international scale, and we need to reassess No Child Left Behind.”

Tyran lists the same concerns as her Democratic counterparts: “environment, education, and also terrorism.”

When it comes down to it, many students say they will base their vote on the war in Iraq. “That’s what holds the most leverage with me,” said Tunnell.

For Marchetti, the economy isn’t a key issue. But, he said with a smile, “it will be when I start paying for stuff.”

“It’s so important for kids in our age bracket to vote,” he said, “because candidates will be forced to pander to our needs more. When we vote, we get candidates to take us seriously, and they pay attention to the issues that are important to us.”