Across America, early voters are flooding polling places and returning mail-in ballots in huge numbers.  

"To me it’s one of the most important votes of my lifetime," said one Denver voter.

For election officials, the focus during the pandemic is on making voting safer and easier which explains this Haul-N-Votes unit which the Denver Elections Division set up on the University of Denver campus.

"It’s like a five-minute walk from my apartment so it’s perfect," said one D.U. student.

"This is the quickest vote I’ve ever cast, it’s crazy," said another voter.

"The 18-24 demographic is our lowest voting turnout demographic so by bringing the voting to them, we’re also hoping to get them more engaged in the process," said Alton Dillard with Denver Elections Division.

That’s always been a big challenge for politicians. Just 46 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds voted in the 2016 election, versus 71 percent of those 65 and older. Whether it’s not having families, mortgages or permanent addresses, two political experts say it makes sense.

"They’re not really doing all the things you might normally do as you get a little bit older that would encourage you to think about who should actually make decisions about your life," Steve Welchert, a political analyst.

"They’re not as often familiar, comfortable with the process and so getting into that habit of voting is important and as you get older you certainly develop that habit," said Rob Preuhs, a political expert who teaches at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

But will that trend continue in 2020? 

"This year could be different, mostly because of what happened this summer," Welchert said.

Some think the spirit of 2020’a racial justice protests, in which many young people participated, could carry over to the polls. And just as marriage equality and marijuana legalization energized young voters in the past, issues like climate change, free college and the Supreme Court could do the same in this election.

But the reality is young voters often don’t trust and can’t relate to older candidates. One man we talked to plans to vote for a third party candidate if he votes at all.

Getting out the youth vote will require text messages and social media, speaking to them in their preferred language and meeting these voters where they are. It could make the difference in this election.

"There’s a whole slew of down ballot races that may be determined by a handful of votes," Preuhs said.

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