Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean stopped in Madison Wednesday on his Register for Change"" bus tour and encouraged students to register to vote in this fall's presidential election.
Dean said civic involvement beyond voting is important and encouraged the crowd to get involved in the campaign by registering voters and going door to door in their own neighborhoods.
""Democracy, like every other invention of human beings, will die if not nurtured,"" he said.
Dean said he is confident Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will win Madison, but said there is more work to be done for Obama to win the entire state of Wisconsin.
""Don't blow it - get out and get those votes,"" Dean said.
According to Dean, Obama represents the ideas of the students' generation and speaks for the younger ideals.
Dean said Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are not reformers and the country needs someone who will bring about change.
He said Obama would restore American respect throughout the world.
Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said he got chills when Obama was nominated to be the first African-American presidential candidate of a major political party.
He said while the national polls are close, Obama has a two-to-one lead among young people.
""Young people are going to elect Barack Obama,"" Cieslewicz said.
Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said the UW-Madison campus could have a big role in the election.
She cited the 5,000-vote margin in the presidential election in Wisconsin four years ago and the 10,000-vote margin eight years ago to emphasize the potential impact of UW-Madison's 45,000 possible student votes.
""The power is yours,"" Falk said.
UW-Madison junior Claire Rydell, chair of the College Democrats of Madison, stepped off the bus with Howard Dean and was the first to speak. She said she is excited about the election and expects record voter turnout on campus.
UW-Madison freshman Jamie Stark said Obama is appealing because he talks about issues that matter to everyone.
""My first vote was for Barack Obama in the Feb. 19 primary, but I'm really excited for my first presidential vote to be for Barack Obama,"" Stark said.
While the rally was aimed at igniting excitement to vote, many students expressed particularly early excitement.
""We need change right now,"" Madison Area Technical College student Jamel Williams said. ""Obama '08.
