Ron Edmonds, Associated Press Singer Stacie Ferguson stands at the podium of the FleetCenter in Boston with the rest of her group, the Black Eyed Peas. In the background from left are Will.I.Am, Apl.De.Ap, and Taboo. Click photo for larger image.

BOSTON -- For anyone under 30, there was a mildly painful, cover-your-eyes moment Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention when the hip-hop group, the Black Eyed Peas, took the stage after vice presidential nominee John Edwards.

It was a moment likely missed by most Americans, with the exception of C-Span viewers, when many of the more wizened Democratic delegates in goofy straw hats attempted to dance to music that unmistakably belongs to a younger generation.

Let's just say that the jerky, hand-clapping attempts to follow the beat by delegates who probably attended Jimmy Carter's convention did not gracefully make the transition from the Stevie Wonder tune that had blared from the speakers moments earlier.

But it just goes to show that the Democrats in Boston -- and no doubt the Republicans when they convene in New York City -- are holding nothing back this year when it comes to getting young voters to the polls on Nov. 2. No matter how awkward the attempts.

This past week, the Democratic leadership has done its best to project the image of a youthful, vigorous party -- to the point of selecting 34-year old Rod O'Connor as the convention's chief operating officer, perhaps the youngest person ever to play such a role. And many of delegates are young enough to have trolled the dance floors this week at the frenzy of parties stretching to the early morning hours after the political action ends in the FleetCenter convention hall.

	Lisa Poole, pool photo via AP Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine performs at a Rock the Vote Democratic National Convention celebration early this morning in Boston. Click photo for larger image.

In events organized by groups like Rock the Vote -- a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1990 -- the under-30 crowd also has been wooed, cajoled and convinced of their importance by a host of stars like Ben Affleck and members of the band Maroon 5. Given the sharply polarized political climate, the stars have tried to drive home the message that the 2000 election was decided by 537 votes in Florida -- and that this year the critical swing votes could be those of young people.

Teresa Heinz Kerry underscored their importance by addressing the Democratic youth caucus yesterday as her husband prepared to accept the party's nomination.

"Good morning future. You are our future," said Heinz Kerry, whose appearance was preceded by talk show host Jerry Springer and followed by music mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. Combs recently launched his own campaign to reach young voters called Citizen Change.

Young people are viewed by both parties as an untapped reserve of campaign energy and potential swing votes. But both parties will have a hard time getting them out on the streets or into the voting booths.

In 2000, only 36 percent of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 bothered to vote. The political participation of this age group has declined for more than two decades, and polls show many young people believe they can make little difference in the outcome of elections.

But given the narrow, disputed outcome of the presidential election in 2000 and the growing polarization of the overall electorate, some political analysts think the tide might turn this year.

Many of those attending the youth caucus yesterday said they were paying more attention this election cycle because they had friends or relatives fighting in Iraq and were worried that the military draft might return. And many of the more partisan groups that addressed the diverse youth gathering yesterday stressed the war in Iraq as a key mobilizing force.

	Kevork Djansezian, The Associated Press Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, top left, sits with Leonardo DiCaprio, center, and Ben Affleck, right, last night during the Democratic National Convention. Sitting below them is producer Norman Lear's grandson Ben Lear. Click photo for larger image.

Combs has placed the war at the center of his new effort; yesterday his group distributed hundreds of T-shirts with the slogan "Vote or Die" branded across the front. Combs did not appear until his announcers had whipped up the crowd by getting them to chant the slogan more than a dozen times.

"We are spreading a simple, urgent message: Vote or Die" Combs said. "Yes, it's that serious. ... It was young people who organized the civil rights movement so that we have the rights. It was young people 50 years ago who marched and rallied and got involved in creating change and understood that freedoms are a matter of life or death.

"When you vote this November, you're putting your life and the life of your families in somebody else's hands. If I'm scaring you, then good, it's that serious.... You will be the deciding factor on who is the next president of America."

Republicans have accused Democrats of using the specter of a draft as a wedge issue. Among them is David J. Copley, the 21-year old chairman of College Republicans in Pennsylvania.

"It's completely playing on fear of the draft," Copley said, when asked about the "Vote or Die" slogan. "There's no support for a draft in Congress. ... The military doesn't want it, President Bush doesn't want it. ... They're just using scare tactics."

	Lisa Poole, pool photo via AP Rapper LL Cool J hands out roses to the ladies at The Roxy, during a Rock the Vote Democratic National Convention celebration early this morning in Boston. Click photo for larger image.

Copley acknowledged that many Democratic-leaning voters have been drawn into this year's campaign by what he described as hatred of Bush, but he said the young Republicans he has met from around the country are just as motivated by their devotion to the president and just as convinced that the 2004 election is a critical one.

"I see college Republicans walking around all the time in George Bush T-shirts. They're real fired up, they're ready to work, they're going door to door," said Copley, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania. "People really saw in 2000 that every vote does count and I think particularly here in Pennsylvania, people recognize that we're a swing state, we're the battleground."

A recent poll by New York's Pace University, in cooperation with Rock the Vote, showed that education was still the main motivating issue for young voters, but that security concerns such as terrorism also ranked high among their concerns. It also showed that while Kerry currently leads among young voters, the Republican Party has made significant progress enrolling new voters who describe themselves as evangelicals.

A poll conducted for Newsweek by Ipsos-Public Affairs earlier this month showed Kerry with a 7-percentage-point lead over Bush among under-30 voters; 48 percent said they preferred Kerry, and 41 percent preferred Bush. Bush was favored by male, rural and married voters in that age group, while Kerry had a clear lead among those who lived in urban areas.

But even in the heavily Democratic city of Boston at an event organized by Democrats, there were a number of young people who said they still were not sure who they would vote for in November.

"I think Bush gets misunderstood a lot. ... But I don't believe in things like a ban on gay marriage," said 18-year-old Emily R. Davis of Bedford, Mass., who described herself as an independent. "I'm still trying to figure out where I fit in."