Editor's note: This is the third in a series of stories examining the top issues of concern for 154 voters participating in The Eagle-Tribune's presidential campaign coverage project.

New Hampshire voters see younger people as the potential victims of a Social Security system that is running out of money.

The Eagle-Tribune polled voters in 16 Southern New Hampshire towns, and 73 percent of them listed Social Security among their top 10 topics of concern.

Older voters, who now collect Social Security, say they are worried about their grandchildren and great-grandchildren collecting when they are old enough.

Younger people, including those who have started paying into the Social Security system, wonder what, if anything, they will have to show for their contributions when they are old enough for the benefits.

According to the government, the Social Security system will start to run out of money soon. Deficits are expected to exhaust Social Security reserves by 2041, according to the Social Security Administration.

Possible solutions include everything from raising the retirement age to increasing the income levels on which people have to contribute Social Security payments.

Dorothy Gallant, 77, of Derry said it paints a bleak picture for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Gallant said she is able to make ends meet financially by living in elderly housing in Derry and collecting $856 a month from Social Security.

But, she said, she is worried the Social Security fund will be depleted by the time her 11 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren are old enough to retire. Her grandchildren range in age from 25 to 37, and her great-grandchildren from 2 to 14.

"I just don't feel that my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be able to collect anything in Social Security," she said. "I don't know how they're (the government) going to be able to fix it to make it so they will be able to collect."

She said she is leaning toward voting for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., who she hopes will come up with a way to make the Social Security system financially solvent.

"I have no answers on how they can fund it," Gallant said. "I would hate to see our taxes raised."

Rep. Charles McMahon, R-Windham, said he believes a big part of the solution involves stopping the federal government from using Social Security money to balance other budgets.

"If we stop that, we'll be doing a heck of a lot better," he said. "Nothing should be taken from the account accept for Social Security benefits."

But beyond that, people should not expect Social Security to provide enough money for retirement. It was never intended for that, said McMahon, 52. It is supplemental income.

Encouraging people to invest more in private savings accounts for their retirement is another facet of addressing the problem, McMahon said. Providing incentives in the form of not taxing such income would accomplish this, he said.

President Bush has been pushing for privatizing the Social Security system to give people the option of investing their Social Security money in private accounts.

But most of the presidential candidates oppose Bush's plan.

Clinton, who fought Bush's plan, said privatizing Social Security will not be discussed if she becomes president.

"Privatization is a bad idea that needs to be buried," she said.

But former Arizona Gov. Mike Huckabee views private investments as a good thing.

Huckabee, who proposes a major overhaul to the federal tax system, supports giving people the option of setting up private accounts with Social Security money. Under his plan, they would also be allowed to buy annuities with their Social Security money.

Like Gallant, Joe Guthrie, 77, of Hampstead, who's also retired, is concerned about the younger members of his family, including his four sons.

"Social Security has been good with me," he said. "In combination with my pension from AT&T, I have been able to live fairly comfortably. I'm more concerned about my four sons, who are coming up to the age of retirement, and I'm concerned about my grandchildren."

Three of his sons are in their 50s and the fourth son is 42. His 13 grandchildren range in age from 20 to 33.

Fewer companies offer pensions today than did when Guthrie was working, he said, which makes Social Security even more important now.

"Social Security is a good program," Guthrie said. "It's something that has been needed by my generation. I would like to make sure some means is set up so Social Security as it is now will continue to help supplement any kind of personal retirement plan anybody has."

One reason Social Security is running out of money is because people are living longer, Guthrie said.

"When Social Security was set up people were supposed to die sooner," he said. "Today, we're living so much longer that my great-grandchildren might live until they're 100."

Younger people, who are decades from being eligible for benefits, wonder what, if anything, they will have to show for the payments they already contribute.

Jason Garneau, 27, of Hampstead rated Social Security as his top concern - even though he's 35 years away from realizing any benefits.

"The fact that I may not have anything to show for what I'm paying into the Social Security system now when I'm old enough to retire is a big issue for me," he said. "Any candidate who can come up with a reasonable solution would pique my interest. But I don't think the candidates pay enough attention to it."

Michael Grant, 20, a student at Northeastern University in Boston, said the fate of Social Security probably won't matter to him because he plans to become a doctor or surgeon. Such a career should mean he will be financially stable when he retires and won't need to worry about Social Security benefits.

But the Windham resident said his friends who aren't embarking on lucrative careers are worried about collecting Social Security benefits when they are old enough.

Grant said people shouldn't rely on Social Security to the degree they do.

"It was a system designed to alleviate the financial pressures put on people by the Great Depression," he said. "Basically, it needs to be overhauled and rethought. We just don't have the money the way the government is spending right now."