VALPARAISO | Charged with encouraging people ages 18 to 24 to vote, Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita has his work cut out for him.

The age group is the least represented in the population, a fact that induces him to travel to all 92 counties to speak to high school students about civic engagement.

Rokita, a Munster native, met Friday with Valparaiso High School students in Lance Leach's accounting class.

He had just returned from China and India where he spoke to those of high school age. Offering up a view of how U.S. students might compare with their counterparts in India and China in a global economy, he noted a few differences. He said some in China and India knew up to four languages, stood up when spoken to and aspired to careers in the medical and legal fields.

"None wanted to be Michael Jordan," Rokita told the VHS students. "They're half a world away, and they're hungry."

Rokita explained the possibility of changing to a system of Election Day registration in Indiana.

"With statewide voting records accessible in real time and photo ID requirements, we are ready to put it in place," he said.

Currently, voters are required to register 30 days before Election Day.

Rokita, who was elected in 2002 and is serving his second term in office, discussed questions about his duties to regulate stocks and mortgage brokers and to register corporations and limited liability companies.

He also spoke on the brain drain, a term that describes a trend of educated Hoosiers moving out of the state in order to make a living. He sees the trend as declining, but told the students: "It's hard for me to ask you to be civically engaged if you're not employed."