The number of students who voted in the 2003 Undergraduate Student Government elections is remarkable.

A record 9,148 undergraduates cast ballots Wednesday, shattering last year's record by nearly 2,000.

We hope this trend continues next year. Voting in student government elections is one area in which there should be a larger turnout each year.

The candidates and their campainers are to be commended for creating such an interest in this year's election.

Many of the presidential and vice presidential candidates had a strong support system of hundreds of volunteers. The platforms and energy they showed must have struck a chord with students.

We hope these volunteers continue to stay involved with and informed about student government at Penn State.

Although many hours were spent laboring over the campaign, the true work of the winners of Wednesday's elections should begin soon. We hope they remember the excitement of the campaign and their enthusiasm carries over through the coming year.

For the naysayers who said this year's campaign was a bit too prevalent, it is a shame they were turned off by the excitement of it.

It is better to have a campus well-informed and active in politics than to have one that is complacent and lethargic when it comes to student government.