The student vote is highly sought by candidates in any district where a university is located. And with 40,000 potential student voters, UW-Madison is no exception.

Students are known to be apathetic and uninterested in the political sector for various reasons. It is possible that the young people in this country are not apathetic but rather are sickened by the scandals, malicious ads and bad policies that are passed by the very people who so zealously covet our votes. Saying that, we as students and as the future of this country have the power to not only solicit change but to create it as well. We have got to set aside our dissatisfaction with the current structure and use our single vote to voice the necessary change.

In an election cycle with so many candidates to think of on the state level, the race for the seat of the 2nd Congressional District may have gotten lost in the shuffle of schoolwork and Halloween costumes. Since today is our last day to think of elections and candidates and politics for awhile we should at least give it the old college try and get out and vote to end it all sooner rather than later.

So what is important to the students at UW-Madison in terms of the House of Representatives? What do we want to be the priority issues of our representative? And finally, who is the person who can accomplish those priorities?

We want to ensure that every child and every student has access to a fantastic public education. It is our right, and we will not give it up to see private and religious schools take state and federal funding in the form of vouchers. Voucher schemes allow these institutions to have no obligation in providing assistance to students with special needs, nor abide by non-discrimination laws.

We want to clean up our environment. We want clean air, clean water and protected open spaces. We want someone who is willing to stand up to oil companies and the conservative Bush administration to protect places like the National Arctic Wildlife Refuge and our Great Lakes from oil drilling.

Students want our representative to be a patriot who understands the fragility of freedom and also the horrors of war. Someone who will insist better from President Bush than his current war-mongering tactics. There are those who would send us off to war without a second thought, and we have very good reason to fear them, namely our lives.

Students want to witness equality in all forms. We want to live in a world where women are equal and autonomous participants in our society. We want to see an end to domestic abuse and sexual assault. Without laws like the Violence Against Women Act co-sponsored by our current representative we could never achieve this precious dream.

Women students especially understand the need for a representative who will defend reproductive choice in all forms and at any cost. We also need a representative who will support requiring insurance companies to cover all forms of contraception just as they do Viagra. And women students need someone who supports mandatory availability of emergency contraception in hospitals for rape victims.

We want a representative to fight for students. Someone who is willing to recognize the hypocrisy of the so-called “Drug-Free Student” provision of the Higher Education Act, which prohibits students form receiving federal financial aid if they have a drug conviction, no matter how small. Someone who understands that the best way for people to rise above difficulties is through an education.

And finally, we need someone who wants to lighten the often-heavy load students have been forced to bear. Someone who will advocate for an increase in scholarship and grant funding like the Pell Grant our current representative has fought to increase from $4000 to $7000. Students definitely do not need an out-of-touch congressman who thinks the incredibly large debts that students graduate with help build character.

The only candidate who is in line with all of the student issues listed here is Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin.

Tammy was first elected in what was termed a “youthquake” in 1998 and is well aware that her position in Congress rests entirely upon the will of UW-Madison students. For this reason, student issues have been and will always be on Tammy’s list of top priorities.

Tammy depends on our votes to stay in office, and we depend on her to righteously represent us in Congress.

We need to get out to the polls, and cause another “youthquake.” Ensure that our voices are heard, our needs are met and our rights are protected. Vote today!

Lauren Besser ([email protected]) is a junior majoring political science and English. She is the vice president of Wisconsin NOW.