The May 8 Democratic primary to elect a candidate to run against Gov. Scott Walker in the recall is
quickly approaching. Over the past few weeks, much confusion has been
brought to the surface over the general rules and regulations of voting in this particular
election. Because of all the recent hype about the voter identification bill, most are
unclear that these voter ID restrictions will not apply to this primary election.

With that said, this means students can still register to vote the same day
of the election. If you don’t live in the dorms, all you have to do to register is bring a form of “proof of residency” to the polling place. “Proof of residency” is any
document with both your name and Wisconsin address on it such as recent bills,
bank statements or paychecks. If you do live in the dorms, then you only need to
bring with your school ID card. And of course, if you live in Wisconsin and
plan on voting in future elections at home, you can still register in Madison with
your home address.

Furthermore, some are still confused as to who exactly is running in the
primary. There are four Democratic candidates and one Republican candidate
running to be on the ballot to recall Walker. The Democrats include former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, and Secretary of State Doug La Follette, and the Republican
running is citizen Arthur Kohl-Riggs.

Falk has been
a strong progressive throughout her political career. Barrett ran against Scott Walker in 2010 for governor. Vinehout is one of the 13 state senators who left the state of Wisconsin during the
2011 spring protests. La Follette is a passionate environmental activist. And lastly, Kohl-Riggs is running
as a “Lincoln” Republican to juxtapose Walker’s more conservative Republicanism.

We made history with the protests and the recall. Why not follow through by
participating in the primary? With voting so convenient and easy, there is really no
reason for you not to vote for your proposed governor of choice.

Erin Goulding ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science and is the communications chair for the College Democrats of Madison.