As the presidential election draws near, the candidates are hitting the campaign trail and students are beginning to become acquainted with the issues. Many college students will be voting in their first presidential election, and political science professors said the students need to become acquainted with the candidates. “Students don’t need detailed knowledge about all the issues – they need to know and pay attention to the people who do have the knowledge and believe in same things they do,” said Robert Lowry, professor of political science. “They don’t need to watch the conventions to make an informed decision.” Democratic candidate Vice President Al Gore and Republican candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush recently made stops in Iowa, while Green Party candidate Ralph Nader and Reform candidate for Iowa Pat Buchanan have been campaigning elsewhere. Gore came to the Midwest this month on a trip that sent him down the Mississippi River with his running mate, Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman. This included several stops in Iowa and Illinois, where he addressed many of the problems facing the country today. “I think both candidates are doing well in reaching voters,” said Cyclones for Gore member Andy Tofilon, junior in journalism and mass communication and political science. “It will be a close race all the way until the election.” Bush also made his way to Iowa last week, making an appearance at a Des Moines elementary school to discuss the current conditions of the country’s schools. “I know that voter turnout is going down with people our age, but that’s one of the things we’re trying to tackle,” said College Republicans member Cynthia Schoenfeld, senior in political science. As the campaign trail heats up, the television war already has begun. At the beginning of last week, Bush started a 21-state ad campaign, and Gore has launched his television campaign. While the advertisements may affect some students’ votes, other students said their peers should already be familiar with the candidates. “The television ads might sway the vote of some politically incompetent people, but most people know who they are going to vote for before the commercials air,” said Nathan Pierson, freshman in civil engineering. More candidate information is available at:

The official Ralph Nader site. The official Pat Buchanan site. The official Al Gore site. The official George Bush site.