Young voters will be able to grill their presidential candidates before the general election through a new program designed to recruit more college-aged voters.

The Presidential Youth Debate, sponsored by the New Voters Project, will provide a place where 18- to 24-year-olds can submit questions to be answered by President Bush and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (Mass.).

Panels of New Voters Project members will select the top 20 questions Sept. 28, which will be narrowed down to 10 by online voters. The top 10 questions, plus a question proposed by people under 18 and a question from the New Voters Project Web site political moderator, will be sent to Bush and Kerry Oct. 5.

Candidates will be able to post rebuttals to each other's responses, according to Adam Alexander, communications coordinator for the New Voters Project.

The existence of Presidential Youth Debate shows politicians are taking the opinions of young people seriously, Alexander said.

A quarter of a million 18- to 24-year-olds have registered to vote this year through the efforts of the New Voters Project, which is the largest youth voter mobilization ever, according to Alexander.

Historically, 72 percent of registered voters show up at the polls, he said.

"The whole purpose of the New Voters Project is to make (candidates) pay attention to us," said Jesse Tolkan, the Wisconsin campus director of the New Voters Project.

Alexander said in the 2000 election, 36 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted, compared to 70 percent of senior citizens. This year, 62 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds who responded to an MTV poll said they planned to vote in the presidential election, he said.

"I think this election is a unique opportunity to reverse the past 30 years, to break the cycle of neglect and reverse voter apathy among young people," he said.

Wisconsin is one of six states being targeted by the project, which began in 2003. Marquette is one of 52 colleges and technical schools in Wisconsin associated with the project, Tolkan said.

This fall 1,600 Marquette students have registered to vote or signed a form promising to vote, said Mary Braun, the New Voters Project campus organizer for Marquette.

New Voters Project workers will be in the Alumni Memorial Union Tuesday through Thursday, and in the John P. Raynor, S.J. Library Wednesday and Thursday to register people. Registration forms will also be available in the dining halls. People are eligible to register if they have lived in Wisconsin for at least 10 days.

By next week, the organization hopes to have at least 2,500 people registered on campus, said Anna Schultz, College of Arts & Sciences sophomore and Marquette's campaign coordinator with the New Voters Project.

Questions for the Presidential Youth Debate can be submitted to www.newvotersproject.org.