\To register, educate and motivate people to vote in the UW-Madison community.""
Though some would argue it's not as catchy as Nike's ""Just do it"" slogan, UW-Madison's Vote 2002 Coalition's catch phrase gets to the heart of the group's mission. With the state's Sept. 10 primary date nearing, the coalition of over a dozen UW-Madison student groups is kicking into high gear.
""Right now ... we're asking students to give us their names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses and then we'll give them reminder calls to vote in [the primary],"" said UW-Madison sophomore and Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Chair Jackie Helmrick. ""We'll also call them to vote again in the general election in November.""
The coalition was formed last spring to help coordinate attempts to educate the Madison community about the upcoming election this fall and is continuing that through two informative packets it will distribute to students.
""The first one is a primary guide that explains what is voting, how to vote, where to vote and all that stuff,"" Helmrick said.
Gubernatorial candidates have acknowledged the importance of the student turnout as possibly the deciding influence in the election.
""We anticipate a very close primary election and in many ways students could be the defining influence in the election,"" state Attorney General Jim Doyle's campaign spokesperson, John Kraus said. ""We take the student vote very seriously.""
College students, however, have had a poor track record of voting in primary elections, something Helmrick said she blames on a lack of knowledge.
""I think the biggest thing is students don't know about it or there's not a lot of article about it and they don't realize they can vote for it,"" she said, adding that she hoped the pamphlets will help rectify the situation.
U.S. Rep Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, who is also up for re-election, said she would not be surprised by a large student vote.
""Wisconsin has extraordinary voter regulation laws which allow you to register after 10 days of residency or at the polls,"" she said. ""Compared to other campuses UW-Madison has an awesome voter turnout,"" she said.
Brigid O'Brien, communications director for U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, D-Milwaukee, said she expected students to play a large role, but added that they need to do a little research before making their decision on Sept. 10.
""They have three choices of people to say 'Who best represents what I'm looking for?'"" she said. ""It makes it more important for students to look at the candidates a little deeper than just being a Democrat or Republican or Libertarian.""
Students interested in volunteering for the Vote 2002 Coalition should attend its kickoff meeting in the Paul Bunyan Room of the Memorial Union at 5:00 p.m. today.
