It's been said that if you don't turn onto politics, politics will turn on you, and the effects of students not voting are disturbing proof. It's just sad when people turn their backs on the chance to make the biggest change with the smallest effort'voting. People have died for the right to vote; all you had to do was turn 18.
The most common form of rationalized apathy is the \I don't know anything about the candidates"" excuse. It's a vicious cycle: politicians don't reach out to students, so students don't vote, so politicians don't reach out to students, etc. Thankfully, there is a dedicated student movement in Madison and across the country, pushing candidates and politicians as well as students to help break this cycle of ignorance, cynicism, and ultimately, disenfranchisement.
This November, voters in Wisconsin will elect a new governor, and we will have the opportunity to make candidates address our issues. On Wednesday, April 24th, 7pm, at Memorial Union, gubernatorial candidates will debate in front of a largely student audience.
With so much at stake in the budget process and so much power vested in the governor-appointed Board of Regents, students truly have an obligation to empower themselves with knowledge before voting in November.
This Wednesday, we the students will make our presence known, and come November, when students have no excuse not to vote, we will turn on politics, one educated vote at a time.
