By ELIZABETH HOLMES
WALL STREET JOURNAL

Behind the surge in voter turnout this year has been a particularly sharp rise among people younger than age 30. In 18 states that have voted in the past two months, younger voters made up 13% of the Democratic electorate, up from 9% in the nominating contests four years ago, an analysis of primary and caucus exit polls shows.

Beyond helping Sen. Barack Obama in the presidential nominating contest, the trend could lift Democrats across the board in November, as the rise has been much bigger in Democratic primaries than for Republicans. In 16 of the early Republican contests, the younger-than-30 vote for Republicans made up 11% of the primary and caucus voters, up from 10% in 2000, the last time the party had a competitive nominating contest.

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