The 26th Amendment gives all American citizens the right to vote once they turn 18.

But a strange quirk of timing has prevented most Iowa State undergrads from voting in a presidential election until this November, since the majority of this year’s seniors hadn’t come of legal age by the time George Bush and Bill Clinton bashed heads.

But all Cyclones — well, the vast, vast majority any way — are eligible to cast their ballots for the candidates of their choice, and many members of the latest generation — contrary to its slacker reputation — are revved up, registered and ready to have their voices heard.

Most students are registered to vote, either in Iowa or in their home states. And there have been many opportunities in recent months to make registration very simple, even for the busiest student.

Many got registration out of the way shortly after their 18th birthdays, some at the Department of Transportation. Iowa is one state that allows people who are renewing their licenses the chance to register to vote right then and there at the counter.

And at last week’s speech by Jesse Jackson, a large chunk of his message was to get students registered to vote. Volunteers also circulated through the crowd to register members of the audience.

Many students take voting in elections quite seriously. For instance, Erin Ganoe, a freshman in apparel merchandising, is a registered Republican. She feels that the right to vote is the only way to have the voice of the people be heard.

“I just felt that as an American citizen, having the privilege to vote was something important,” she said.

Ujjaini Mitia, a freshman in chemical engineering, said that she registered at the driver’s license bureau as a Democrat shortly after her 18th birthday. “I guess I had always supported the Democratic Party over the Republican Party,” she said. “I’m not a big political person, [but] I think the government should help us live our lives better.”

That’s a common Democratic theme. Since Clinton, a Democrat, is the incumbent president, many party members want to maintain the status quo, said Patrick James, professor and chairman of political science.

He said the role of government in society has been very much in question during the past few months. Clinton “has been shifting away from a liberal position to more middle-of-the-road,” James said. “He wants the government to try to do what it’s doing better than before, not bigger.”

This belief explains the Democrats’ disagreement with Republican candidate Bob Dole over his proposed 15 percent tax cut. Such a slash, James said, would force a reduction in funds available for government programs like welfare, Social Security and Medicare.

Some students say Clinton should just keep doing what he’s been doing. Mitia plans to vote for Clinton “not just because he’s a Democrat,” she said. “There are some things I disagree with Bob Dole about. One is the way he wants to run the economy. I don’t think it’ll be good in the long run.”

Ryan Broek, a freshman in business, is registered as an independent. He, too, plans to vote for Clinton “because he has experience, and he’s done some good things.”

Another Clinton supporter, Amy Popillion, a graduate student in human development and family studies, has been on the Clinton bandwagon for several years now. She voted for him in 1992 and was actually in Dallas at the time of Clinton’s victory party.

This November, she plans to vote along party lines. “I’ll probably vote for Clinton, definitely not Dole,” she said. “I’d never vote for a Republican. [Clinton’s] more down-to-earth than other politicians. His views are closer to mine. I don’t like Dole’s views on the death penalty.”

Other students think that Dole has some good ideas about how to change the role of government.

“The purpose of government is to do for people those things that cannot be done without government,” said Chad Schmitz, a junior in agricultural business and the president of the Young Republicans.

Schmitz and other Republicans would like to see many programs at the federal government passed along to the states. “By less government, I mean less across-the-board, nationalized government,” Schmitz said.

“Instead of one program [nationwide], let the states decide. We like very local control of education. Local governments are more adaptable to the areas instead of cookie-cutter programs.”

That explains Dole’s push for tax cuts, a program that Republicans like Ganoe also support. “We believe that people can spend their money better than the government can,” Schmitz said. “You shouldn’t have to apologize for wanting to keep more of your own money.”

Dole’s view on abortion, for instance, is also parallel to Ganoe’s. “I was born and raised Roman Catholic,” she said. “The way I was raised, abortion is against my religion. … I can’t bring myself to vote for a man [like Clinton] who supports abortion.”

And while she says that Clinton has done a fair job, it’s time for some new blood in the White House.

“Clinton has improved the economy, but I don’t think he’s lived up to the promises he made in 1992,” Ganoe said.

Other students are all ready to vote — they’ve got their voter registration cards in their hands — but they still haven’t settled on candidates. Lori Nitz, a freshman in pre-art, is registered in Minnesota as a Democrat.

She plans to vote via absentee ballot, but whose name she’ll check off is still up in the air. “I haven’t really heard a lot of the issues. I think I’ll wait until the debate this week.”

She’s looking for a candidate who values education, welfare and supports abortion.

Raejean Slach, a sophomore in music education, hasn’t made up her mind, either. She’s registered as an independent because “there are good ideas on both sides, and there are bad ideas on both sides,” she said.

Still, there are some students who haven’t registered to vote yet. Kam Wohlenhaus, a freshman in accounting, does plan to register as a Republican, but she’s “not sure yet” who she’ll cast a ballot for.

And still others haven’t registered, and don’t plan to. Emily Stauffer, a sophomore in liberal arts and sciences, doesn’t plan to vote.

“I just don’t care either way,” she said.