One of the biggest stories of this election season, including an article that ran in this paper last week, has been the supposed enthusiasm gap between Democratic and Republican voters. There are many people in the media and political campaigns that are taking this “gap” to mean that turnout will be low on college campuses like ours this November. This simply will not and should not be the case, if for no other reason than that it is so easy to take part in this key democratic privilege.

After weeks of talking with students all over Madison, we have heard a variety of reasons that students think they are not qualified to vote that simply are not true. That is why we have set out to clarify, once and for all, that University of Wisconsin-Madison students can and should be voting in Wisconsin by debunking the top 5 most common non-voting myths:

1) I can’t vote because I’m not from Wisconsin.

If you go to school here, I’m going to assume you live in Wisconsin currently. That means you can vote, even if you just moved here this past August. Welcome to the Badger state, we’re glad to have you!

2) I can’t vote because I didn’t register!

One of the best things about participating in the democratic process in Wisconsin is that our state allows you to register at the polls on the exact same day that you vote. So even if you forgot to register ahead of time, you can still show up on Tuesday, Nov. 2 and have a chance to cast your ballot. All you need to bring to the polls is a Wisconsin driver’s license (or the last four digits of your Social Security number) and proof of your residence (Wiscard if you live in the dorms; copy of lease, bank statement, bill or paycheck in your name if in private housing). If you can’t dig up a proof of residence on Election Day, you can still vote. It’s as easy as bringing another registered voter that will sign and vouch for you.

3) I can’t vote because I don’t know who the candidates are.

Just because there is no presidential race this year does not mean this election isn’t critically important. We will be electing the next Governor of our state, U.S. Senator, Congressperson, and state and local representatives. Take five minutes to do a quick Google search, look at each candidate’s website, check out what the local papers have been saying, and then GO VOTE.

4) I can’t vote because I just don’t have time.

Voting should take you no more than 10 minutes, and that is extremely small in comparison to the time until you can next make your voice heard in two, four or even six years. Most UW students have polling places located right in campus buildings, so just take a few minutes to stop by. To find your polling place, simply search your address at: vpa.wi.gov.

5) I’m not going to vote because I know it won’t make a difference.

I can understand how easy it is to feel disaffected with the number of hurdles facing our nation today. But remember, politicians are both hired and fired by people who turn out to vote, and right now too many people think we aren’t going to show up. President Obama warned us on Library Mall that, “We cannot sit this one out.” If we show up in massive numbers, trust me, politicians will notice, and then they will be forced to spend time talking about the issues we most care about. With over 42,000 students on this campus, together our voice is incredibly powerful.

Thanks so much for reading Badgers, and I’ll see you at the polls. Let’s be sure to show everybody that this is one group of people who just might know a little something about enthusiasm!

Travis Serebin ([email protected]) is the Communications Director for the College Democrats of Madison.