Last night at Chadbourne Hall, Rep. Tammy Baldwin's, D-Wis., campaign took a turn to address the issue of student voting.
\I am a representative for everybody in this district and young people have the greatest investment in the future,"" Baldwin said.
For Baldwin, one-on-one contact with students is key.
""You can say things over a phone, you can have a poster on a wall that says 'Don't forget to vote' but that's not the same as looking someone in the eyes and saying, 'Will you vote for me?'"" Baldwin said.
From a student perspective, meeting representatives face-to-face was the most effective way of understanding the issues at hand.
""I didn't know what she cared about and it was nice to hear it straight from [Baldwin] than a poster,"" said UW-Madison freshman Mingwei Huang. ""Going to see the candidates is a great way to help me decide who to vote for.""
When this type of contact is not readily available, debate serves as well if not better.
""We have great opportunities for debate forums and I believe that is a great way to see both candidates and their opinions and see how they interact with people,"" said Jesse Walter, a UW-Madison senior and leader in the Tammy Baldwin student campaign.
Walter agreed that watching news sources can also be effective, but warned viewers to be conscious of possible biases.
""It's also very important to make sure you see through the spin and what the pundits say,"" Walter said.
""The Internet takes about half an hour to read up and see what the candidates are all about,"" he said, in reference to another method students can use to be better informed.
Baldwin was clear as to how to obtain voter information, but when it came to new and out-of-state voters she emphasized the importance of their voice in Wisconsin.
""One thing students from other states may want to think about if they want to make an impact is the fact that Wisconsin is a battleground state, where it's very up in the air whether Bush or Kerry will win,"" Baldwin said.
""The outcome of these elections is going to impact the future for years and years to come and I think young people have the most at stake.""
