Although the hype for Tuesday's local elections was not as strong as the 2008 presidential election, many UW-Madison students stressed the importance of voter participation on campus.
Molly Rivera, a member of theCollege Democrats of Madison, who encouraged students to vote at Library Mall Tuesday, said she thinks students should always vote in elections to express their interests to those who represent them.
According to Sara Mikolajczak, president of the College Democrats of Madison, voting in local elections is one of the best ways for students to participate politically.
If we want to have any say in what goes on at a local level, we need to get out there and we need to be voting,"" she said.
Despite a much higher awareness among students for the issues and candidates in the 2008 presidential election, Rivera said it is imperative that students are conscious of smaller elections as well.
""[Local elections] send an even bigger message saying 'yes, we are involved, we do care who represents us,' and that message is bigger when we vote at a local level,"" she said.
According to Claire Rydell, president of the College Democrats of Madison, students may have been more likely to vote in this particular election because some of the candidates were UW-Madison students.
""Students are definitely inspired and energized by the fact that students are running,"" she said. ""Many of the candidates have really spoken out in favor of student issues and also for things that are important to the student body.""
For future local elections, Rydell said members of the UW-Madison College Democrats are looking to improve awareness and participation among students.
