BANGOR (NEWS CENTER Maine) - When political races are close, just as Maine's gubernatorial race and the congressional race in District 2 are panning out to be, voter turnout can make or break an election.
This year, a group of voters we traditionally don't expect to see on Election Day is showing more interest in the midterms than expected.
Early voting numbers show young voters, under age 30, are turning out in record high numbers in critical parts of the country, and polls show a record number plan to vote on Election Day.
This year, 18-year-old Trystan Morrissette of Bangor is voting for the first time. He says if you don't vote, then you don't have a right to complain about the state of the government.
"If we don't vote, then we're the ones screwing ourselves over."
The current political climate is one reason young people say they are heading to the polls. Another is heightened awareness through social media.
Morrissette says, "Every time there's voting going on, it's always getting blown up through social media."
Sami Ireland, a Husson University junior, says heightened activism around the country has also spurred more young people to take an interest in politics.
"There are so many people almost rioting for what they believe in, and I think that's really good. Especially since some of us think that we don't need to vote that we need to see other people our age that feel empowered and feel it's their right to voice their beliefs."
Across the country, voter registration is up for young people.
A recent poll by the Harvard Institute of Politics found that 40 percent of people under 30 said they would "definitely vote" in this election. That would be the highest voter turnout rate for young voters in decades.
Those projections are likely too good to be true.
Turnout rates for young people are typically far lower than overall turnout rates, especially during midterm elections.
Eighteen-year-old Andrew Pitcaran of Husson University says, "I think a lot of people like the idea of voting but don't necessarily get out there and do it because, especially young people, they are really lazy."
In the past, even when young voters showed early enthusiasm, the didn't show up to the polls.
Pitcaran says, "I have some friends who say, 'Yea, I'd love to do that,' and then I have some friends who just don't bother giving the time."
In 2014, fewer than 20 percent of young people voted — that's the lowest rate ever. That means it would be a stark contrast to see 40 percent of voters under 30 come out, as the recent Harvard poll suggested.