According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, only 67.34 percent of residents in Wisconsin chose to vote during the 2016 presidential election. That means only 3,004,051 residents out of 5,661,337 in Wisconsin voted.

A Campus Vote Project report stated college students make up around 21 percent of the eligible voter population but less than 17 percent of them actually choose to vote. In 2008, it was estimated that almost 1.7 million Americans between the age of 18-24 did not vote, possibly due to how most students were not aware of how they were able to vote. 

“I think students should get involved with these events because we haven’t had a big push on this campus when it comes to politics,” student senator Daniel Dombrowski said.

Student Senate wants to encourage students to participate during this year’s Midterm Elections. They are offering events where students can attend an informal meeting to talk with this year’s candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties. Student Senate has set up three different events for candidates to come to campus. 

Dombrowski said many of the ad campaigns that the invited candidates have been using address university and policy changes, which are concerns that will affect the University of Wisconsin-Platteville as well as many other colleges and universities in Wisconsin. 

The first event is called Cut the Pork, and the public candidates coming to campus are Steve Toft, Travis Tranel and Howard Marklein. These candidates are a part of the Republican Party. This event will feature free pork sandwiches for students.

“Student Senate is encouraging all students to come to these events in order to research the candidates and have a chance, in a low-stakes and informal setting, to ask questions. Students can have the chance to understand what politics actually includes,” Dombrowski said. 

The next event is the Meet and Greet with the Republican Party, where Steve Toft, Travis Hartwig and Jay Schroeder will be available to answer any questions students may have regarding the Republican viewpoints on various issues that are on the table this semester, many regarding policies that surround colleges and universities. 

The final event is the Meet and Greet with the Democratic Party, where Kriss Marion and Mike Mooney will be available for students to discuss issues with.