Students Gear Up For Vote

As the presidential race comes down the home stretch, UB students are getting caught up in the atmosphere of an election that experts say will be one of the closest in history.

Across the nation, the stakes are raised as Kerry and Bush both attempt to gain support from swing states. Closer to home, the College Democrats and College Republicans are trying to push students to the polls.

Political analysts are predicting young Americans will vote in record numbers. Many UB students have already mailed in their absentee ballots, while many others wait to cast their vote on Nov. 2, some of them for the first time in a presidential election.

"I'm excited because I finally get to vote," said Julia Gringauz, a freshman pharmacy major. "I'm definitely looking forward to that. Plus, this is a really important election, so hopefully it'll change something."

Nicole Feliciano, a sophomore art major who already sent in her absentee ballot, is also geared up for this year's election.

"I sent in my absentee ballot, and I'm excited about that. This is the first year that I get to vote and I've happy to put my own two cents in," Feliciano said. "Not everyone in other countries get the chance to tell the government what they think the way that we do."

Feliciano also said she was happy to see that she wasn't the only student getting revved up about the upcoming elections.

"It's really exciting to see that people aren't apathetic as in previous years," she said. "A lot of students around campus seem excited to vote and we have a lot of politically active students on campus, which is excellent."

Despite her excitement, Feliciano expressed concern that there would be attempts to skew Election Day results.

"I'm preparing for another recount," Feliciano said. "I'm waiting for government or the media to come out with information on Election Day saying that nuclear weapons or WMDs have been found, which would really influence voters. Then again, I just don't trust the government."

While there does seem to be a refreshing energy among students - with debates popping up in dorm rooms and many a hand-me-down car displaying Kerry or Bush bumper stickers - others say they are less than enthused about the election, even disillusioned by the last one.

"There's been a lot of propaganda to vote, but I don't really care. I'm not especially excited," said Max Benton, a freshman pharmacy major. "I'm registered to vote, but I don't know who I'm voting for. I'll probably just decide when I get in the booth and vote for someone random."

Benton said would he vote on Election Day, but other students like Andrew Cerra won't even be going to the polls.

"I don't vote because I don't feel like it matters. The way the system is set up with the electoral college, more weight is given to larger states, leaving smaller states without much of a say," said Cerra, a junior chemistry major. "On top of that, you have the politicians going around talking about the issues that are important in each particular state, rather than focusing on issues at large, which ends up skewing their priorities in order to get voters."

"I would start voting if the Electoral College was abolished, because then your vote will matter," Cerra added. "Until then, though, the popular vote doesn't count for much, which we saw in the last (presidential) election."