UW-Madison freshman Andy Gordon is no stranger to political rallies. His mother dragged him to a Clinton rally in Green Bay when he was eight years old.
\I was whining the whole time. I didn't understand what it was all about,"" he said, waiting to board a shuttle bus to the rally John Kerry held Wednesday. ""But it was still really cool.""
Gordon and a group of five freshmen are decided Kerry supporters, as were most people waiting to get on the shuttle bus.
""I don't think anyone who isn't already a supporter goes to these rallies,"" UW-Madison freshman Daniel Spirn said. ""The undecided voters are more indirectly affected. It's the perception that the candidate is actually in this state and getting media coverage that might sway some people.""
Despite a sky peppered with clouds, over 10,000 heard Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry speak at the Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Wednesday afternoon. In an effort to court college-aged voters, Kerry mentioned his proposal for a $4,000 college tuition credit, as well as his plans for creating more jobs and boosting the economy.
Rallies rarely directly influence undecided voters, according to UW-Madison political science Professor Charlie Franklin. Rather, a political rally provides a ""vivid event"" that garners substantial news coverage and rallies the candidate's support base.
""The undecided voters don't go to attend the rally,"" he said. ""But they get exposed to it indirectly through the big headlines in the paper and through the local news coverage.""
Regardless of an average turnout that hovers between 30 and 40 percent, the Kerry campaign nonetheless is wooing young voters, hoping that rallies such as Wednesday's will help come November.
""The youth vote is extremely important,"" George Twigg, Kerry's Wisconsin campaign coordinator director, said. ""In 1998, the campus vote played a huge part in electing Tammy Baldwin. She was able to get the students excited and involved, and that's what we have to do.""
With Bush leading Kerry by a slim margin in recent polls and the narrow victory of Gore in the state four years ago, Wisconsin's status as a swing state has energized first-time voters.
An undecided voter, UW-Madison sophomore Ani Simons said she attended the rally so she could make an informed decision. ""It was so passionate and exciting and inspiring,"" Simons said.
""I'm really excited because it's the first year I can vote. In this election ... there is so much going on in the world today, more so than in other elections,"" she said.
