No matter how you feel about the results of this week's presidential election, the election's big story may be the transformation of formerly disinterested parts of the population - by which I mean young people - into active, passionate campaigners and enthusiastic voters.

Looking back, I believe we'll see there's been a revolution of sorts.

I was amazed at the numbers of young people who lined up for hours, and have lined up for weeks, to cast their vote with their elders. More than a hundred million Americans went to the polls, and the winding lines of voters contained many young and diverse faces new to the democratic process.

Look at the incredible activity of young Americans who not only campaign tirelessly in public and behind the scenes, they fill MySpace and Facebook pages with their own viral outreaches, and send and forward zillions of e-mails and txt msgs about their favorite candidates and issues.

Just four years ago, most kids could barely force themselves to care. Why the sudden upsurge in politics, campaigns, and voting?

Well, I'm pretty sure it's they feel they need to step up and straighten things out before we old people mess it up any worse.

"Young people are waking up and getting involved, because we realize that this is our future," said Washington's Ashley Barnett, at 26 a recent college graduate in her first career job. "Some of us were deep into politics last election, but this time, it's absolutely phenomenal how everybody is involved. There's a vast amount of online conversation about the election and the issues, and it seems like every person my age talks about their favorite candidate on their Facebook or MySpace page. But this year, everybody is

georgia interested, everybody is involved."

I was personally part of the last peak in young voters, which the 2008 turnout totally trashed. In 1972, a record 52 percent of voters 18 to 24 turned out during a divisive, uncertain period of American history when many young adults truly felt the country was heading out of control down the wrong track. Sound familiar?

It was also the first national election in which 18- to 20-yearolds could vote, and the draft and the Vietnam War were our prime concerns, with the assassinations and riots of the 1960s fresh in our memories. I remember there was a real feel of life-and-death in that campaign, because we all had skin in the game, much as young people do now.

America re-elected Richard Nixon, of course, by a landslide, but we newly enfranchised youths felt the heady power of our vote.

Now, the 2008 election offers a charming but unlikely senator plucked from the wings by the powers that be, and given the full messiah treatment by the press.

He was made to be the cure for all the dissatisfaction that had been growing for eight years, and now a new man, a new generation, has been given a mandate to fix things, and fix them fast. I hope it works.

But this is about the new voter, the passionate force that pushed Obama to the White House. Now that you've chosen, anointed, and crowned your new leader, never forget that the power to lead America still lies with the people who stand up and take action.

What I'm saying is, now that you're standing up, don't ever sit back down. Don't think for a minute that the White House and Congress don't need your oversight, your involvement, and your correction. Stay informed, stay passionate, stay up in your nation's business.

We parents always wonder when our children will put down their toys and pick up the weight of their heritage. Now it seems you have, and we're proud.

And we hope and pray you're right.