The stakes are high in today's gubernatorial election and many Penn State students know it.

The GOP's eight-year-long control of the governor's seat in Harrisburg could end. A former Philadelphia mayor could become the state's governor for the first time in 88 years. Issues such as funding for public education, public safety and environment preservation are at hand.

Recent polls have shown a lead for Democrat Ed Rendell, but Republican Mike Fisher has gained prominence in the past months. Penn State students are making sure their votes count.

Some Penn State students will base their vote on issues, while others align themselves with a particular party.

Although Sean Misko, president of the political science society, tends to vote for candidates of one of the two main parties, he doesn't consider himself aligned with either.

"I will vote for the candidates that represent the issues important to me," he said.

Misko said there would be certain issues important to students, just as there are for any group of people.

"I think every student here would be concerned with funding of public higher education, since most are in-state students," Misko said.

He said one of his main concerns was the economy. Ensuring that there are jobs for students when they graduate is important as well, he added, since it can determine whether students will want to work and raise families in Pennsylvania after college.

"Education is probably the most important issue to me," Rebecca Mair (junior-microbiology) said. Having forgotten to get her absentee ballot, she won't be able to vote, but she still feels strongly about some issues.

Although she isn't completely decided on who she would vote for, she said she thinks Rendell is likely to win. Being from Lansdale, she said she knows he has a lot of support from the Philadelphia area.

While the race for office is realistically between the two main candidates, some students are showing support for other parties. The third-party candidates are Libertarian Ken Krawchuk and Green Party candidate Michael Morrill.

Jessica Petriello (junior-journalism) is voting for the Green Party, even though its candidate is not likely to win.

"They're the only party speaking out against the war in Iraq," she said.

She added the party's concern with non-violence, sustainability and living wages issues are also important to her.

However, Petriello is aware that a victory for her candidate is highly unlikely. She said she hopes Rendell wins the election because she feels he is the better of the two main candidates.

David Dedman (sophomore-special education) said he used his absentee ballot to vote straight Republican because he agrees with that party's platform. While he said his hometown of Montgomery County supports the Republican candidate, across the state the race for governor seems close.

Traditionally, there is a low student voter turnout, but Undergraduate Student Government has made some efforts at getting students more involved in elections. In September, a gubernatorial debate was held at Eisenhower Auditorium.

"It was a wonderful opportunity for students learn about the issues and the candidates," Misko said.