In the last presidential election, just 34% of students voted, according to the New Voters Project, compared with 70% of older citizens. There are plenty of get-out-the-vote drives, from MTV's "Rock the Vote" to World Wrestling Entertainment's "Smackdown Your Vote!" all of which are aimed at increasing the percentage of student voters.

But now, Eau Claire is joining several other Wisconsin cities, from DePere and Stevens Point to Milwaukee and Madison, in a trend of running students for city council as a get-out-the-vote drive. While the rest of us students may just vote on February 17th, Brandon Buchanan, Evan Perrault, and Darrin Wurz are attempting to become Aldermen.

This Tuesday, February 17, they will take part in the Eau Claire City Council primary in which the current field of twelve candidates will be narrowed to ten in preparation for the April 6 Spring Election, whereby five of the ten will be voted into city-wide offices. Anyone living in Eau Claire over the age of 18 may vote in this primary (see the How and Where To Vote section for details).

Ray Hughes, a professor in the College of Business at UWEC, is an incumbent running for reelection who fully supports the idea, hoping it will get students involved in the electoral process. Since joining the faculty here in the fall of 2001, Hughes has encouraged students to be on city commissions and boards, and has worked with the past three Student Senate presidents.

Brandon Buchanan is one of those students who took the initiative and worked on the Parking Appeals Board with Hughes in 2003. Brandon Buchanan and Darrin Wurz are running with the support of College Independents, a nonpartisan campus organization. Both Buchanan and Wurz are focusing on getting students involved in the electoral process. "[Students] need to be educated and go out to vote," says Buchanan. Evan Perrault is running without organization backing, but instead is looking for the experience of running his own campaign and "bringing more fresh ideas" to the council.

One of the main hopes expressed by all the candidates is to bridge the gap between the Eau Claire community and the University. "The University is a community unto itself," points out Hughes. He adds that it is important for the University and the City of Eau Claire to work together to make it a better place. "We have to look at the long term health of the community."

The student candidates agree with Hughes that the University and community must work together to improve Eau Claire, but they all believe that it is the long-term that's working against them. "Because students are in Eau Claire for only four or five years, citizens believe that our focus is often temporary," Buchanan says. But as Hughes (a 1977 graduate of UWEC) and the student candidates point out, many graduates eventually come back to live and contribute to the Eau Claire community.

But even if students never return to Eau Claire, they are still citizens who may have grievances with the city and want to improve it. "I want to bring student issues to the table," says Wurz, "and help be the link." Buchanan believes that problems with parking, especially in the 3rd Ward, need to be addressed by a council that has members from both parties to work out disputes.

If students want the Eau Claire community and the rest of the US to take us seriously, we have to take the initiative. As Gandhi put it, "Be the change you want to see in the world." If all we want is a place where other peoples' concerns are being addressed instead of ours, then we need only continue to vote in the numbers we have before.

As of right now, elected officials pay attention to the majority of voters when issues such as Social Security and Medicare are brought to the table, rather than issues like lowering college tuition. If we don't use our voices at the national or the municipal level, we won't see the changes that we want in the world, or even in the community around us.