The 2008 presidential primary was the first election I ever cast a vote in. And while myself and 900 or so other Wisconsinites who wanted our politics a little more senile, a little more ballsy and a little more crazy may not have won out, it’s the principle of being able to vote with ease that matters most.

So with that, and in the spirit of free and open democracy, this one’s for you, Mike Gravel, you kooky bastard.

Since that afternoon I cast my vote at my hometown’s fire department, I’ve missed only a single election, my first on this campus as a matter of fact. Like many new to the University of Wisconsin, there’s often a greater preoccupation with where one acquires booze in a dorm setting than where and how one goes about participating in the democratic process. Both are pressing issues to be sure, but the Republican-controlled Legislature isn’t hiding in the alley behind University Liquor rifling through your backpack.

Senate Bill 6 or Assembly Bill 7, whichever you prefer, is endangering the ability for students to fulfill one of their civic duties, and there’s little we’ll be able to do about it. To combat the paper tiger of voter fraud in Wisconsin, Republicans are hawking a bill that puts in place unnecessary barriers to voting. But surely the Republicans’ track record of compromise and understanding will win the day, right?

Rep. Jeff Stone, R-Greendale, gave in to popular demands by students last week by amending the bill to allow for student IDs as valid identification for voting. Sounds pretty good when ignoring the fact that few if any student IDs in Wisconsin bear a current address as the bill now requires. Pair that with the transient nature of student voters in general, and you’re par for the course as far as the bill was originally drafted.

Some claim students can still vote; all they need to do is opt for an absentee ballot. This is certainly an option but ignores a major concern.

Students spend upwards of four years on this campus. The leaders elected to represent these students will surely continue to represent other students in the future. Our interests are equally as valid as any other voter in the state. The brushing aside of student demands through absentee voting cannot and should not be tolerated.

All the bill seeks to do is narrow the predominantly democratic-leaning votes from out of state and dilute the concentrated voting base on college campuses and in low-income communities. Self-preservation is the name of the game for Republicans, and the unfortunate part is this is very likely going to pass in the next month due to their majority in the Legislature. But I guess that’s the democratic process for you.

I like to vote. I’d do it more than once if the fact election fraud is a felony isn’t enough of a deterrent. The quaintness of the Gates of Heaven synagogue, those nice old folks handing out the ballots, it’s a wonderful little break from the norm. The ‘I Voted’ sticker only seals the deal. I could do without the aesthetics of the process, but when you take away my right to representation in the city I live, we’ve got a problem.

Jake Begun is a junior majoring in history and journalism. He’s returning to the Herald in the fall as editor-at-large, catch up with him over the summer at [email protected].