While the three candidates for Undergraduate Student Government preach student involvement, many students don't even take the time to vote.

Only 4,826 students voted in last year's USG presidential election.

"I've never voted for USG elections and I don't care to," said Sally Keller (junior-science).

No matter what the tickets say they are going to accomplish, they never do it, Keller added.

USG presidential candidate Jim Ryerson and running mate Candice Anderson agreed that many students don't know what USG is or what it does.

"Improved communication should increase voter turnout in the future," Anderson said. Students must take the initiative to actually go out and vote, she added.

But Ryerson said student leaders must motivate the students to go to the polls.

Elsa Gomez was one of the relatively few students who did vote last year.

"Actually, I had just transferred in the spring and I was coming from a small school that did not have a student government. I wanted to participate and have a voice," said Gomez (senior-economics). Living in East Halls made it easy to vote, she said, but now as an apartment resident, she doesn't know where to vote.

Gomez said she wants a candidate who will help keep tuition costs down and work to open the University budget.

USG presidential candidate Rich Schaffer and running mate Chris Groton say the best way to get the word out about elections is to get students talking.

Most students who vote have a personal connection to one of the tickets, Schaffer said.

"We hope to get votes from people who do not have a connection to any of the candidates," Schaffer said.

But one student said other students won't care about USG if they don't see it working for them.

"If USG doesn't start reaching out to students, they are going to find it harder and harder to find student support," said Tara Mooney (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies). Most people don't bother to vote because they think they have better things to do with their time, she added.

USG presidential candidate Rob Kampia and running mate Beth Schneck said students would vote if offered candidates who are willing to change things.

"The only reason I voted last year was because I was living in the dorms," Schneck said.

Kampia said students don't see the need to vote because they always vote for the same type of USG leader.

"We have some very conservative students supporting us because they want a change," Kampia added.