Politicians may vie for the young vote, but few campaigns focus solely on it.

However, "I Decide," a national campaign started at Harvard University that is spreading to schools across the country, is doing just that.

"The campaign wants to get as many students as possible to vote," said Megan Green, president of the College Democrats. "Even though the registration deadline is past, students still have to do something: come out on Nov. 2."

The students of Harvard's Winthrop House, who started the campaign, contacted Green to get her help to spread their message at Penn State.

"They chose Penn State because we are the biggest school in the closest swing state to them ... This area determines how Pennsylvania votes, which might determine the entire election," Green said.

Two students from Winthrop House, Leslie Bishop and Rebecca Leventhal, with Chris Mason, a friend from Southern Methodist University in Texas, came to Penn State yesterday to hand out 400 white "I Decide -- November 2, 2004" T-shirts.

"The goal is to have everyone wear the shirts [today] to make a statement and remind everyone to vote," Bishop said.

Students who got the free shirts will be meeting in the HUB-Robeson Center at noon today to show their commitment to voting.

The campaign, a non-partisan voter motivation effort, is headed for Ohio State University and Florida State University in the upcoming weeks.

"Other students will be going to some big schools in swing states to push partnerships with them and help everyone come together as a generation. We are the ones who live the decisions that the winners of these elections make; we want to make our voices heard," Leventhal said.

Leventhal said the "I Decide" slogan appeals to students across America.

"It was very successful at Harvard; we want people to know it's cool and trendy to vote ... To reach our age group, we used a catchy slogan and a Web site full of information [www.Idecide2004.com] to help students make their choice and then voice it," she said.

"I Decide" wants students to research the candidates and watch the debates to make their own decisions about what is best for the country, Bishop said.

"We want students to get involved in the democratic process ... We're not supporting either campaign; we want students to figure out what they believe," Mason said. "Then all they have to do is mark it down on Election Day."

Leventhal said she hoped an impact could still be made on students, despite the fact the group had only 400 shirts to hand out.

"It's hard to make a wave on this big of a campus but hopefully when people read about it and see the shirts on campus it will remind them," she said.

About 10 members of the College Democrats helped to spread the "I Decide" campaign's message on campus yesterday.

"I think this is the real way to win the young vote," member Robert Arcamona (sophomore-broadcast journalism) said.

Another member, Elena Cross (freshman-political science) said even though registration is over, voters still have work to do, which is getting the voters out to the polls.

"In any political campaign, the first thing is registration but then you need to get the actual votes," she said.

"People have to take that half hour on Nov. 2 and go to the polls and make their choice," Cross added.