Royal Purple

Issue date: 2/13/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Alison Wisneski Junior Tony Dobney was the third person to vote at the newly opened polling location in the Hamilton Center. Tuesday was the first time a polling location was located on campus.

UW-Whitewater students braved sub-zero temperatures to cast ballots at the University Center in Tuesday's presidential primary election, the first ever contest in which UW-Whitewater had an on-campus polling station.

Despite pushing since the 1980s, officials had been unable to gain approval for the polling station until last year.

About 150 students voted during the first four hours after polls opened at the Hamilton Center in the UC, including voting in the primary for Whitewater's municipal judge.

In the democratic presidential primary balloting, early exit polling showed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama outdistancing rival New York Sen. Hillary Clinton by almost a 3-1 margin at the Hamilton Center.

At the Old Armory downtown, balloting was more balanced between Obama and Clinton. Between about 8:30-9:30, exit polling showed 55 percent of voters chose Obama, while 35 percent chose Clinton. McCain received 7.8 percent. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee received little support from early voters.

Whitewater Ald. Max Taylor, a poll worker, said he hoped the campus location would attract new voters who have previously been unable to travel downtown.

"Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for students to vote," Taylor said. "I'd say roughly 85 or 90 percent of the voters this morning have been students."

Former Whitewater Student Government President Paul Sanchez shared Taylor's enthusiasm, but neither was certain how many students would take advantage of the opportunity.

"[The expectations] depend on who you ask," Sanchez said. "I would expect to see a couple hundred, but that's a very rough estimate."

Obama's attempt to lure college students - which included Hollywood actors Tate Donovan and Kerry Washington visiting UW-Whitewater last Saturday - is reminiscent of a previous politician's efforts to appeal to young voters. Former President John F. Kennedy, to whom Obama has been compared by many analysts, made a campaign stop at UW-Whitewater's Hyer Hall in the 1960s.

UW-Whitewater senior Josh Esson was among Obama's supporters.

"I want to end this war," Esson said. "I think he can do that, and there are really a variety of reasons I want to see him win."

Sophomore Patrick Klund, one of the two Clinton voters, said that Clinton was the ideal candidate to force changes in Washington, D.C.

"I think it's finally time for a woman to lead this country," Klund said. "I thought she was the best choice."

With McCain all but officially the Republican nominee, some students opted to vote for a Democrat. Sophomore Dan Heinlein said that such a vote held more meaning.

"The Republican party is all locked up," Heinlen said. "There's no sense in voting for them, and I'd rather have Hillary over Obama.

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