H ow many pizzas does it take to engage a college campus?

At a recent kickoff for Democrat Barack Obama's campaign at Barry University in Miami Shores, 19 pies got about 150 people in the door.

''This is the best turnout I've ever seen,'' said Sean Foreman, a political science professor who was on campus for the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. ```We've never been able to maintain a political club here.''

Since 18-year-olds gained voting rights in 1972, participation by younger voters has been plunging like a pair of low-rise jeans. Massive outreach reversed the trend in 2004, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. The 2008 primaries also brought out record numbers of young voters.

Still, the participation rate is downright pathetic. Among voters under 30, the center estimates that 13 percent cast ballots in Florida's Jan. 29 primary. The overall turnout was 42 percent.

Young political leaders are predicting participation will continue to climb, thanks to the Obama campaign's unprecedented outreach. This year, they're not just going to ''rock the vote,'' as the slogan went. They're going to ``Barack the vote.''

That means putting a vast army of volunteers to work, opening offices close to college campuses and using cellphone texting and social networking sites like Facebook to hook young voters and keep them interested. The campaign has even identified the number of unregistered students at small campuses like Barry.

''I didn't feel a connection in 2004,'' said Darlene Whittaker, a senior who waited in line for pizza. ``This election is historic, and I want to be part of it.''

Not everyone was there for a piece of history.

''I'm in the class over there,'' said sophomore Steve Torrisi, pointing toward a nearby Ping-Pong table, ''so the reason I came over was for pizza.'' He quickly added: ``But I'm all for change.''

Republican John McCain's campaign is also organizing on college campuses, although the scale of the effort and the response has been much smaller. A few days after the Obama meeting at Barry University drew about 150 people, about a dozen showed up for a McCain round-up on campus.

Peer pressure is part of the problem, said Harout Samra, a University of Miami law school student who leads the statewide group Students for McCain.

''The person we're trying to get is that freshman living in the dorm who thinks he's the only one on his floor supporting John McCain,'' Samra said. ``Some people think Obama is the only party on campus. . . . The challenge on our part is to make sure we're visible.''

Samra predicts McCain will be competitive on college campuses, but polls suggest that a strong turnout will benefit Obama. A Miami Herald survey released one week ago found Obama's biggest spread over McCain was among voters 18 to 34. Obama leads 52-42 percent in that age group.

But McCain runs strong among voters over 65, who tend to be a lot more reliable about getting to the polls. Go to Century Village in Deerfield Beach and see them shuffling into the polls, by cane and by walker. In the rain.

At Obama's rally last week at the University of Miami, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown of Jacksonville urged the young people to put their hands in the air.

''Change is in your hands! Change is in your hands!'' she cried.

They cheered, but will they vote? Oct. 6 is the last day to register. There will be no free pizza on Election Day, just the chance to make a difference.

Beth Reinhard is the political writer for The Miami Herald.

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