A look into the finance reports for the Dane County Board race candidates reveals a variety of campaign finance strategies.

While some candidates have chosen to raise money and get donations to fund their campaigns, others have decided to keep campaign budgets as low as possible.

"I wish it was all about the ideas," Ald. Austin King, District 8, said. "But you have to raise money for campaigns."

According to finance reports filed for the month of January, University of Wisconsin sophomore Adam Korn has raised the most campaign money, totaling more than $2,000.

A majority of the individual contributions Korn received came from family and friends in his home state of Illinois, averaging nearly $250 per contribution.

Korn said he was not comfortable asking for money from District 5 residents, which is comprised of mostly students.

"I feel that this is a different district," Korn said. "I don't feel it's necessary asking [for money from] people with such small budgets."

On the other hand UW junior Ashok Kumar, another District 5 candidate, received most of his individual contributions from inside the district.

According to the report, Kumar has raised nearly $1,400 in campaign finances and averaged an individual contribution of about $57.

"Our district's small," he said. "When 75 percent of my contributions are coming from ordinary folks from inside the district and in the Madison community, it's really flattering."

In contrast to Korn and Kumar, the other two student contenders running for the District 5 seat are aiming to keep a low-budget campaign.

"I really don't see endorsements and fundraisers as a great use of time, compared to canvassing," UW freshman candidate David Lapidus said. "It's not necessary to have a lot of capital or money to win."

In the January report, Lapidus raised $100 for his campaign, which has been spent mostly on literature pieces promoting his platform.

Lapidus said he was not looking for donations because he could spend more of his time talking to student voters.

In Sean Cornelius' case, campaign finances may not mean anything at all.

Cornelius, a UW junior, was exempt from filing a January campaign finance report, which, according to King, implies the candidate will not look to spend more than $1,000 on the entire campaign.

"My philosophy is that I have refused to accept donations from … an entity or person that I might directly affect with a position on the Dane County Board," Cornelius said. "So all of my contributions have come from friends, family and individual voters."

Like most of the candidates, Cornelius has spent most of his campaign money on campaign literature, and saved money by developing his own designs and website.

Each candidate holds a different view on gathering monetary support for his campaign from district members.

In Korn's perspective, students' money is tight and can be used for other necessities.

"People getting involved and getting interested and the amount that my volunteers have given me has been enough," he added. "I can't buy votes."

But Kumar disagrees, and is "humbled" by the support shown from members inside the district.

"The great thing about this district is that this community votes for people who have done things for the community, and I think my report shows that," he said.

All candidates filed campaign finance reports for the pre-primary election period last Monday.