Have you been wondering why the kids in the bright yellow shirts who used to stand on street corners with clipboards and signs that read Register to Vote"" are not there anymore? Well, the early registration period for the Nov. 4 election ended last week, and now in order to register, individuals must walk over to the Madison City Clerk's office with a proof of address or register on Election Day with a proof of address. Thankfully, a lot of you will not have to wait in lines on Election Day to register to vote because you already have. In fact, 5,436 of you have registered to vote through WISPIRG's New Voters Project! 5,436 registered voters is an amazing number of people, and it is great to know that you are taking this election seriously.
But registering to vote is only the first step in your role of influencing the future of your country. The next step is to learn about the candidates. To help you get some more information about what each potential president can offer our country, WISPIRG is holding an event on Tuesday with speakers, games and clips of candidate speeches in order to figure out which of the candidates' values best match your own.
Don't base your decision for the next president on what they look like or the gossip you've heard about them. Base your decision on the issues and the hard facts to make sure that the candidate you will be choosing will affect your country's future the way you want them to.
It's YOUR country, YOUR president and YOUR vote that will shape America for the next four years.
- Magdalena Bojda
UW-Madison sophomore
