With the presidential election a little more than a month away, the UW-Eau Claire College Republicans and Democrats are trying to get students registered to vote and involved in the election process.

Sam Milewsky, president of the College Democrats, said registration is the group’s top priority in the final month before Election Day.

“If a student takes time to register to vote, not only does it immensely make the voting easy on the election day, but they’re more likely to actually go and vote,“ Milewsky said.

According to Milewsky, a large number of students have already registered to vote, and the numbers are likely to increase in the next few weeks.

College Republicans President Everett Brown said his group has been more actively recruiting new members.

“We (Republicans) have definitely, up until now, been focusing on recruitment and the reason we’re doing that is to spread our message to the independent vote,” Brown said. “It really surprises me why people are not informed whether they vote Republican or Democrat.”

Both parties are interested in making sure that students know how important it is to vote.

“It’s your right as an American citizen and you have no right to talk bad about whoever is in office if you did not vote in that election,” Brown said.

Both the College Democrats and College Republicans said that they have a civil relationship with one another.

Milewsky said for the most part, the parties leave each other alone, and Brown has tried to get the two groups together by doing a bipartisan presidential debate watch party, which did not end up working out. But Brown said he still plans on having a watch party for a future debate.

Both parties look for multiple ways to get the student body involved, including putting up campaign signs and having prominent speakers make
appearances on campus.

For the Republicans, Senator Ron Johnson and former Treasurer of the United States Bay Buchanan spoke to the student body. Prominent Democratic guests on campus this semester have included Vice President  Joe Biden and Kurtwood Smith, better known as Red Forman from “That 70s Show.”

Both Brown and Milewsky voiced similar reasons why they think students will vote for their favored candidates.

“We (Republicans) are trying to reach out to the newer people, the younger people and just tell them that unemployment is still rising, the GDP is still lowering, we can’t afford four more years (with) Barack Obama as president,” said Brown.

Milewsky also focused on prominent issues in today’s society.

“Student debt, finding jobs, all of these issues will affect students at one point or another … campus will turn out overwhelmingly for Barack Obama and Tammy Baldwin and that is a fact that I am confident of,” Milewsky said.

Junior Ginna Roe does not consider herself either Democrat or Republican. As far as politics go, she is unsure of where she stands. She credits this towards living in a split political family, where her parents have differing political views. However, this has not stopped her from voting, or from thinking that voting is extremely important. She is still trying to figure out exactly where she stands.
Roe said, “Honestly I think it is kind of a touchy subject, because people are political in their own ways because of their morals and because of where they come from.”

To voice your opinion and cast your vote, make sure to register and vote between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Nov. 6 in the Blugold Living Room in Davies Center.