BY MECHELE COOPER

Staff Writer

Mackenzie Tozier is excited about the presidential election.

The 18-year-old Monmouth Academy senior said he has paid attention to politics all his life and is looking forward to voting for the first time.

"I get mad about certain things the president has done, when there's something I wouldn't have voted for or agreed with," said Tozier, who plans to cast his ballot Tuesday after school. "And now I have the power to possibly change all that."

Lindsey Gordon, an 18-year-old senior who will vote for the first time, was busy handing out ballots to students during a recent mock election at Winthrop High School, which she said helped them learn more about the election process.

"It was a cool experience, handing out the ballots," Gordon said. "A lot of kids are saying that their vote doesn't matter. So it was great seeing their faces when then they came out (of the voting booth) and say, 'Wow. That's kinda cool.'"

If the political parties and polls are correct, first-time voters such as Tozier and Gordon will inundate polling places Tuesday.

Julie Flynn, deputy secretary of state, said how that compares with previous years isn't clear, but there's no question registration rolls are booming.

"We really don't have statistics to compare it to," Flynn said. "Part of the difficulty is the way our database is coded."

Tozier said he is still not sure who will get his vote. He's gathering as much information as he can on the candidates to see who will be best at tackling what he believes will be key on Election Day: the war in Iraq and the economy.

He said the country needs a strong leader who can improve the economy and help the middle class, which he said has been suffering for years under the Bush administration.

"We need to take the stress off the economic system right now so people in this country don't feel it as much," he said.

Keith Morin, assistant principal at the Winthrop High School, said staff has provided information on both presidential candidates to students all week.

"We're trying and get knowledge out there for students to access so they can make informed decisions," Morin said. "A lot of our seniors have come of age and can actually participate in the process."

The school held a mock election Tuesday, which Barack Obama won with 156 votes to 69 for John McCain.

Lindsay Gordon said she'll go to the polls with her parents.

She said her biggest concern is how the Iraq war is handled. She said her grandfather was in the military and she has a cousin who soon will be serving in Iraq.

She said she will vote Republican like her family, and that McCain's beliefs on the war are similar to hers.

"He's pretty much said what he wants to do," Gordon said. "He wants to be able to finish the war because right now if you take the soldiers out of the war, there could be a chance that (the insurgents) could come back and we'd have to keep spending more and more money to send our troops back in again."

Not all of those newly registered voters will show up on Election Day. Some first-timers will vote early, by absentee ballot.

Jillian Blouin, Maranacook Community High School senior, said on Election Day she will be at Middlebury College in Vermont for a college interview.

"But my friends and I are going to have a big Election Day party and watch all the polls come in and stay up really, really late," Blouin said.

Blouin said she is excited to vote -- something she said she has seen her parents do.

And she believes her vote will make a difference.

"We'll either see a continuation of what's been happening or see a big change," she said. "I'm voting for Obama because we agree on the issues -- the war in Iraq, women's rights around birth control and pro choice. And I really, really dislike Sarah Palin. Also, I'm not a big fan of Bush, so obviously I don't want to go with his party."

Carl Witham, 18, a senior at Gardiner Area High School, said he based his decision for president on the debates and national poll percentages.

"I have decided to go for a certain candidate, Obama, because I like what he's going to do with the health-care policies and energy policy and also I like the fact that the crowd he brought with him is more diverse than what McCain has," Witham said.

Tozier said candidates should focus on what they will do for the country and stop picking each other apart.

Blouin said candidate bashing is even happening in the state races.

"I just think it's unnecessary, but I understand why they do it," she said. "You can say your position all you want, but if you dig up mud on the other person you can change people's opinions. I especially hate the lying. We expect our president to be have a good moral character, and how can we expect him to do that if he lies."

Tozier said he doesn't believe gender, color or ethnicity should make a difference in the way a person votes.

"It shouldn't matter," Tozier said. "It should be for what a person stands for. I'm going to vote for the person I think the country needs regardless of sex or color."

Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, Ext. 408

mcooper@centralmaine.com