After listening to Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and two stars from the hit show “Glee” speak on the importance of the student vote in the upcoming election, over a dozen students cast their vote early at Madison’s City Hall Sunday afternoon.
Obama for America sponsored the event called “Wisconsin Votes Early” to encourage students to vote before the Nov. 6 election.
Baldwin, who is running for a seat in the U.S. Senate, said at the event that youth have more at stake in this election than any other group.
“I think the winner in Wisconsin is going to be decided by the student vote,” Baldwin said. “I’ve seen such incredible motivation among students, they have figured out the differences on the issues that are important.”
Baldwin also encouraged voting early, especially for volunteers, because voting day could be hectic and unpredictable.
“Let’s bank the votes that are already there and make sure they are secure and going to be counted,” Baldwin said.
Kevin McHale, who plays Artie on “Glee,” and Jenna Ushkowitz, who plays Tina, along with the show’s producer Dante Di Loreto and creator Ian Brennan made an appearance at the event to urge students to do their part by volunteering and voting early.
“We can talk the talk, but you guys are the ones on the ground actually doing it,” McHale said. “It’s fantastic.”
The cast members challenged everyone to find one person who is not registered to vote and convince them to do so, while also emphasizing that donating time is better than money in this election.
“I just want to wake up on Nov. 7 and know that I did everything I possibly could,” Ushkowitz said.
The group also expressed their envy that students in Madison live in a state where their votes have such a drastic effect on the election’s outcome.
“It’s going to come down to a couple of votes,” Di Loreto said. “It’s an amazing responsibility you guys have, since your vote is going to decide this election.”
