Scot Ross urged UW-Madison students to cast their vote for a fresh young face for secretary of state Thursday at Library Mall. Flanked by UW-Madison students, Ross highlighted important issues he said current Secretary of State, Doug La Follette, has neglected, citing a $12 billion cut to student aid supported by Mark Green and other Republicans.
In attendance was state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, who has chosen to support Ross despite the fact Pocan is actually La Follette's neighbor. Pocan said La Follette has neglected his responsibilities in his 28 years as secretary of state.
Pocan said one of the main reasons he supports Ross is because Wisconsin really needs someone to ""take leadership on electoral issues"" in order to keep Wisconsin's ""third highest voter turnout in the entire country.""
With his campaign focusing mainly on keeping the right to vote in the hands of the people, Ross said he feels this right is being infringed upon by Republicans.
Ross intends to keep same-day voter registration and opposes the need for driver's licenses when voting. These rules, Ross said are being administrated by Republicans who want to hinder the Democratic votes, especially those in inner cities.
UW-Madison student Kyle Brown said he advocates Ross' campaign and believes in his commitment to make sure voters' choices are counted.
Although the majority of his speech addressed the right to vote, Ross stressed a need for change in the secretary of state position, as La Follette has held it since 1974. If elected Ross, 37, would be the youngest elected official in 13 years.
Ross stated that La Follette has failed to recognize issues dealing with healthcare and educational opportunities. Ross, referring to La Follette as ""an absent Democrat,"" pledged his commitment to be active while in office.
Citing the fall of the steel mill industry in the town in which he grew up, Ross said these experiences taught him the government should be ""giving people who need a voice most loudly a voice"".
Recently, Ross faced more hardship when he had gastric bypass surgery in 2001. As a result, he said he has experienced ""first hand how important it is that [people] have quality healthcare.""
Ross went on to talk about his experience running in the Madison Marathon this past May. Ross will be facing La Follette in the Wisconsin primary election held on Sept. 12.
