Opinion

Our future belongs to you: Take it

In November 2006, I had the opportunity to be a part of something truly amazing on campus: a victory for a progressive America. Democrats carried campus with more than 70 percent of the vote, 85 percent of students voted against the gay marriage ban and across the country voters cast their ballots for change.

I grew up in Madison and embody almost all of the stereotypes you think of when it comes to being a bleeding-heart liberal. In history class we talked about “Fighting Bob” La Follette and the Progressive Movement, so I was naturally ecstatic when, for the first time in my life, the Democrats came out of an election with a huge win.

The night before Election Day, I got a phone call from Max, a good friend I’ve known almost all my life who was off at school in St. Louis at the time. We quickly started talking about the election, and I asked him if he had voted in Missouri. He told me he hadn’t because he wasn’t considered a resident and he had requested an absentee ballot from Wisconsin, but it never came. I was really upset. Here was a young guy trying to take part in the democratic process being denied by not one but two state governments.

But Max didn’t share my dismay; instead, he told me I had better be awake in six hours because that’s when he would be rolling into town. He and two friends, hyped up on coffee and Red Bull, were driving through the night to get him to the polls.

When we met for breakfast, he told me they couldn’t stay long because they had to get back for afternoon classes. I was in a complete state of disbelief. My friend had driven a total of 12 hours just to cast his vote.

Even if the election that day didn’t end up being close, Max still stood up for what he believed in. He knew that someday he could look back and tell his kids that when it mattered, he took a stand against bigotry and supported progressive values. What will we be able to tell our children and grandchildren?

Times are changing. Politicians are speaking to our issues. From health care reform to ending the war in Iraq, our votes are being counted, and our voices are being heard.

On Feb. 19 (mark your calendars!), students at the University of Wisconsin and our fellow citizens from around the state will go to the polls to vote in Wisconsin’s presidential primary. Before Election Day, I would encourage each of you to get involved with one of the Democratic student campaigns. Currently, groups for Sens. Clinton, Edwards and Obama are all actively meeting and organizing on our campus.

We’ve all heard the argument: “I don’t have time to vote.” There are a lot of things that we could do to make voting easier, and we often have quite a lot of studying and work to take care of on Tuesdays. But every once in a while our conscience demands that we stand up, get informed, and be counted. From the College Democrats’ website (wisc.wiscollegedems.org) to The Washington Post and The New York Times, there are a lot of places to quickly find the answers you’re looking for.

I also want to stress how simple and easy it is to vote in Wisconsin. You don’t have to be from the state or have a Wisconsin driver’s license; you simply have to have lived at your current address for 10 days before Election Day. If you live in the dorms, it’s even easier. Just bring your Student ID to your polling location, and the university and the city clerk will take care of the rest.

If you live off campus, you need to have some proof of residence. The easiest thing to bring is a utility bill or piece of official mail (like something from the university) addressed to you at your Madison address. If you don’t have anything, you can go to the polls with a registered voter who can vouch for your residence. It’s very simple and completely worth the short amount of time it takes.

We have no greater responsibility than to take part in our democratic process, I hope you’ll join us in the upcoming weeks.

Oliver Kiefer (oliver.kiefer@wiscollegedems.org) is chair of the College Democrats.