Well before outcomes in many races were clear Tuesday night, an awakening among young voters in Leon County and beyond was an established fact.
It was foreseeable — but no less exciting.
On Aug. 26, the day of the primary, Mr. Sancho said more university students came to Salley Hall at Florida State University to register to vote than actually voted that day. They wanted to be sure they could cast their ballots on Tuesday.
The high interest among Tallahassee's collegians wasn't unique. A University of Florida precinct reported a turnout of 85 percent.
"All over the campuses, it's just electrified," said Bessie Schwarz, a 22-year-old organizer for Florida Power Vote, a nonpartisan initiative focused on clean energy issues.
Leon County is the second-youngest county in Florida, in large part because of the large concentration of college students. Historically, however, college students have played an insignificant role politically in the capital city.
Their turnout at election time has rarely been pivotal in local races, although student support helped propel City Commissioner Andrew Gillum, a former FAMU student-government president, into office when he first ran in 2003.
The high level of interest and participation among young voters here and nationally was due in no small degree to the effectiveness of Barack Obama's campaign organization, which understood that an awakened young electorate could very likely determine — certainly have an important influence on — the outcome of a presidential election.
The unanswered question is whether the ability of Mr. Obama's campaign to inspire so many young Americans to go to the polls will for them begin a habit of political and civic participation or be an important but unusual footnote in electoral history.
Ms. Schwarz, the young Power Vote organizer, believes it's just the beginning of a movement.
"I think we're going to see this build and build," she said. "Because we're a fourth of the electorate, candidates are actually paying attention to us."
If she's right, that has huge implications. An awakened, engaged young electorate has the potential and power to reshape politics in America, from city halls and statehouses, from Congress to the White House.
Young voters may have found out Tuesday that, yes, they can. The big question beyond the outcomes they helped determine Tuesday is: Will they?