Voter apathy, thy name is college student. In the 2000 general election, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that of the nearly 24 million United States citizens age 18-to 24, only about 8.6 million registered and cast a ballot four years ago this November.

While 8.6 million sounds like a lot of people - about 120 sellout crowds at Spartan Stadium - it was the lowest turnout of the populace's age groups.

The same study found that about 50 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds registered to vote that November. So, with some not-so-fuzzy math, that means that of the 12.1 million young people registered to vote for the 43rd president, about 3.5 million slept through the alarm or just decided that Saturday Night Live reruns on Comedy Central were more important.

Now, during the relative calm before the ugly storm that will certainly be the 2004 presidential election, the Michigan Democratic Party is introducing a measure to lower voter apathy - still talking to you, college students - by allowing online voting at www.applytovote.com for the upcoming Democratic caucus on Feb. 7.

We'll call a 20-second time-out right now. The winner of Michigan's Democratic caucus vote gets a majority of the state's 153 delegate votes at this summer's Democratic National Convention in Boston. The grand winner this summer gets to campaign against incumbent George W. Bush.

That's a lot to take in. But it's not a lot to actually do to take a more active role in national politics. The Michigan Democrats are taking steps to essentially eliminate the gamut of excuses people give for not voting and turn that silent majority into a - we hope - voiced majority.

Feb. 7 will almost certainly dawn cold and windy. Days in February are prone to that. But offering voters the opportunity to safely cast ballots from the comfort of home is a commendable step in the right direction to eradicate the woeful voter apathy that consistently makes its November appearance every four years.

The beauty of an online voting method lies in its simplicity. This is not a partisan endeavor; Internet access is readily available to nearly all Americans who actively seek it. And most importantly to MSU, it speaks directly to young people.

But the kinks aren't out. It remains troubling that local Democrats haven't taken a pro-active role in supporting this measure to "get out the vote." It's also concerning that those without, or unable to access, an Internet-ready computer cannot participate in ventures such as these.

Things that seem too good to be true probably are. Assuredly, this measure for the state caucus is a strong step in limiting voter apathy and increasing avenues for the constituency to participate in politics. Have patience, though, until the system proves reliable and just.

The results aren't in on applyvote.com yet, but based on the initiative taken to get more citizens - still talking to you, college students - to participate in politics, online caucus voting doesn't look to be giving a concession speech any time soon.