A bold step in campaign fundraising by Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean could reignite the interest of younger voters.

By using the Internet as a large source of fundraising, the Vermont governor has managed to catch the attention of a younger generation of Web surfers. In the past, the percentage of college-aged voters has almost been negligible.

ISU professors said Dean’s technique may have the power to increase that percentage.

Third quarter fundraising records released earlier this month show 52 percent of Dean’s campaign contributions were less than $200. This is compared to 11 percent of contributions to President Bush.

Robert Lowry, associate professor of political science, said while the demographics of contributors of less than $200 are not recorded, he guessed a large quantity of them are of a younger generation than the typical voter.

Steffen Schmidt, university professor of political science, said Dean’s use of the Internet has pushed him in front of the pack.

“I think the other candidates are all too old to even understand what all this means,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt called it “a wave of sociological change in the nature of political campaigning.”

“Dean has gotten on the top of the biggest wave of that and is riding it in,” Schmidt said.

Lowry called Dean’s reliance on the Internet risky. He said the impersonal nature of the Internet makes it a game of numbers that could make votes less reliable.

However, both Lowry and Schmidt said any type of contribution, even if it is only $10, is enough to make someone get up and vote.

“If you give money for a cause, you stick with that cause,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said it is not only his use of the Internet that has young people excited.

“There’s something about his personality that excited people and we can’t figure it out,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt described it as mesmerizing. “He has a charisma that reaches people on a subconscious level,” he said.

“It’s not something the other candidates can hire a consultant to do or copy — it’s just something he has.”

A list of the demographics of campaign contributors can be found on the Web site www.opensecrets.org.