Vote for Change. Rock the Vote. Vote or Die. These slogans have been incessantly pumped into the brains of students across America over the past few months, yet according to the PR Wire 7 percent of voters are still undecided.
While students are feeling the pressure to \Choose or Lose,"" the question remains: Should those still undecided abstain from voting or vote defensively and save America from whom they believe is the lesser of two evils?
UW-Madison junior Brian Con?? said he is uncertain that any of the candidates are qualified to serve as president.
""This election is important because we are a leader in the world. I don't think [any] of these guys are fit to lead the free world. I'm not seeing anything stellar,"" he said.
""I'm not going to be happy either way,"" Con?? added. ""I'm not optimistic about the next four years of this country.""
Undecided between Kerry and Nader, UW-Madison sophomore Kirstin Krudwig said she is feeling the pressure to cast a vote so that her voice is heard.
""I think it's important on how I feel that day about certain issues,"" Krudwig stated, ""The indecision I face is that if I vote for Nader, I may be pulling a vote away from Kerry and Bush could win.""
Nicole Rybeck, a UW-Madison freshman, said neither Bush nor Kerry's platforms have been presented sufficiently enough for her to make a decision.
""There's a lot of pressure coming from friends and family to decide,"" Rybeck said. ""I feel I need more information before I can make a decision. I feel information wasn't provided and I have to search for it.""
However, Rybeck said she cannot complain about the victor if she hasn't voted.
""I hate to vote by default,"" she said.
UW-Madison Associate Director for Public Opinion Research Donald Ferree said an important issue for voters going into this election is whether undecided voters should stay away from the polls or vote defensively.
""I think clearly anyone who is trying to make up their mind on how to vote is going to have to decide what is important to them in terms of how they feel the election will affect their personal life or what they think the consequences of the election will be for the country,"" Ferree said.
""You should think about what message you want to send with your vote,"" he said. ""If you're choosing on a whim what you're doing is canceling out somebody's vote who has seriously thought about it. However, the thing about our democracy is that everyone gets a voice.""
