Midterm+Elections

** Why should I care? **
 * What's in it for Me? **

Take a moment now to get these answers for yourself and it may change your life for the next 10 years...and beyond.



November 2nd 2010. Put a "star" on your calendar and when the date comes, try to remember what that star truly represents...Freedom of choice.

In a survey sampling 60 students at UW-Manitowoc, which is roughly 10% of the eligible UW-Manitowoc student voters, the vast majority said that they would in fact be voting. Of those polled, most are unaware of the issues, unsure of the process of voting and are unclear about the candidates running for the office of Wisconsin state assembly representative for the 25th district. Those not really interested in the upcoming election, like Gao Lee, a 20-year-old student at UW-Manitowoc, are unsure what purpose voting will serve and are unaware of its significance. Lee commented, "I'm not a politics kind of person." She is not planning on voting.

On the other hand, Dan Lukes, a 19-year-old student at UW-Manitowoc is politically active. He contacts his representatives in elected local, state and national government on a regular basis. He calls his congressional representatives, senators and anyone else who may be involved when he feels that an issue needs to be addressed. "I believe one should take ownership and responsibility in their community by choosing to vote for any open office, anytime you have an opportunity," said Lukes.

When asked what factors are important in deciding who to vote for, Alex Shariff, a 20-year-old UW-Manitowoc student said, "These are solutions to problems that will help us as a community, depending on which path you take."

Most of us are aware of the major national elections, such as the Presidential Election of 2008, but the overlooked mid-term election may have dramatic implications for local, state and national government. And yes, you have a vote in what will transpire. Your vote for State Assembly Representative this November 2, 2010, will have a very major effect on the redistricting plans that will be enacted next year in time for the 2012 national elections, affecting us for the next 10 years.

*

** What are the choices for State Assembly? **

Kerry Trask is running on the Democratic ticket *or* Bob Ziegelbauer is running as an Independent as well, and he is the incumbent.

** What do the candidates have to say? **

When asked, “What's in it for me?”

Kerry Trask responded- "You will feel most fully the importance and influence of your own citizenship if you do. Besides that, you will be standing up for yourself and your own futures. We need your energy to revitalize our  political life. We need your hopes and dreams to propel us towards better days."

Bob Ziegelbauer- "What’s in it for you? Only everything! This election will have major impact on the future of our communities. This could not be a more difficult or challenging time for our country. Exercising your  right to vote in these elections is about so much more than citizenship. This government belongs to  you. Don’t ever forget that."

For many young students, this is their very first chance to participate in an official US Government Election of any type. Do you have any words of encouragement or advice for these first time voters?

Kerry Trask- "Voting for the first time is part of the rite of passage from adolescence into adult life. Suddenly you are empowered. You count and you have a say in the course of direction of your own society. What you  think and what matters to you is important, and that is especially the case if and when you and your  fellow students vote together in favor of your shared concerns. Then your interests and hopes become  part of what goes into defining and redefining the General Good of the community. Those interests are  legitimate."

"Your hopes ought to become an important part of what our future can become. I could never understand why a person with the right and opportunity to vote would ever fail or neglect to act on that. We all have to value ourselves enough to think our voices should be heard and should have an impact  upon the business of the bigger community. Now you can vote you have become a full citizen of the  republic of equal value with every other voter. Most of the people of the world envy your status and  advantage. Be proud of who you are and what you have just become. Make your voice heard. That  can make a beneficial difference in the lives of us all."

Bob Ziegelbauer - "This election nationally and locally is about the most basic of questions defining government and its role in society. Do we continue on a path where we increasingly depend on government for nearly  everything in our lives, or do we stop (if it’s not already too late) and embrace an alternative path to  prosperity that we know works better, based on economic freedom where we have more control of our  own individual destiny, framed by the choices we make for ourselves instead of someone else making  them for us."

Why is it important for today’s students to get out and vote in the upcoming midterm elections for State Assembly Representative?

Kerry Trask- "Many of your most vital interests will be directly influenced by the person who becomes the next assembly representative. Not only will the cost of your education—tuition, fees, and all the costs that  are part of a university education—be effected, but the quality of that education will also be on the  table and part of the bargaining process that will go into the making the next state budget. There are  powerful forces in this state that want more for themselves and less for you. We have to protect our  priorities. We have to preserve what is one of the very best university systems in the country (indeed,  in the world) and we must continue to make it accessible to students from the working families of  Wisconsin. Along with that, we have to regenerate our economy so that there are jobs—good-paying  jobs with promising futures—awaiting you when you graduate. We have to better utilize the talents and abilities of the students we train. We have to stop the brain drain. We have to begin creating the promising and prosperous future we all wish for in the very next session of the Wisconsin State Assembly."

"I’m on your side in this struggle. I want to keep the costs of your education down and preserve the ability of the UW System to provide you with a pathway to a promising future. I taught history at UW-Manitowoc  for 36 years. My own children were students at UW-Manitowoc each for two years. I know  your concerns. I share your hopes. I will be a strong advocate for your interests. I believe in you and  what you can achieve. Work hard at your education and I will work hard to support your efforts."

Bob Ziegelbauer - "As for issues, there really is only one, the state of our economy. The choice we face couldn’t be clearer. Do we keep going down the path we’re on with ever expanding government, consistently rising  taxes, and repeated payoffs to special interests, or do we change direction now, make a commitment  to a growing economy and return to the road to prosperity by reducing the massive job killing taxes on  business, repealing the special interest payoffs, peeling back the regulatory overreach, and pulling  back the unaffordable expansion of government programs." "Students, young and old, who are investing in themselves now while furthering their education, have

the most at stake because this election is about your future. The State Legislature has an important role to play in all of this. We all have a lot at stake. We need a prosperous growing economy that can provide the kinds of opportunities to grow in challenging careers, build prosperity for your families, and develop the diverse facets of our State for everyone to enjoy ."

*

OK, you convinced me to vote ... now what?


 * If you would like to get up, get out and make a difference in the election process **
 * this year **, **you can either:**


 * 1. Visit the Manitowoc City Hall where you can find out where, when and how to **
 * vote. City Hall is located at: **
 * 900 Quay Street **
 * Manitowoc, WI 54220 **
 * 920-686-6900 **
 * 2. Find out where your polling place is and register **at the polls **on Election Day, before you cast**
 * your vote. **
 * 3. Visit the following website: www.vpa.wi.gov **



- Story by Paul Nessman