Many last-minute pleas in the Collegian over the years urging students to vote have started with a set of statistics that show how little students are engaged in our democratic process. They have typically painted a picture of apathy within the student body, which most likely did little to persuade anyone to actually get out and vote. My message is different, however, as my four years working to get students to the polls have revealed a positive outlook for student participation in the upcoming Pennsylvania primary and general election.

During the last two months, student groups at Penn State have registered nearly five times the number of students who voted on campus in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Pa. presidential primaries combined (roughly 2000 compared to 365). In every local, state and national election since 2000, student turnout has increased between 24 percent and 118 percent from the last comparable year -- increases that have almost gone unnoticed when considering outdated total registration counts. This data does not simply show that "student apathy" is a dying catchphrase, but that the days leading up to April 22 and November 4 will bring with them exciting political events on campus.

So why register to vote by the Monday deadline? I've been asked this question on countless occasions, and there truly is no single answer for the 40,000 different backgrounds, aspirations and experiences found on campus. I could try to make the case that one vote matters, or that it is our civic duty to participate, or even that it would help lower tuition in the long run, but I'm guessing most people have probably heard enough of those arguments.

I will, however, mention a few things that students might want to consider while reading today's paper between classes. First, as I briefly mentioned above, students aren't so apathetic anymore. Talk to your friends at dinner or browse Facebook a little bit longer -- chances are that some of your friends are registered to vote, hold some political viewpoints they would be happy to share or even went to one of the official campaign office openings this week. Students around the country have had the opportunity to get engaged and Penn State students will undoubtedly do so at unprecedented levels this primary, so why miss out and read about it the day after?

Second, this primary season has obviously started earlier and garnered more attention than those in the past. If you're a Republican, your votes will help bolster the party's presumptive nominee heading into November; if you're a Democrat, your votes will help decide which candidate gets the nomination. Either way, there is something about this election that has driven record numbers of voters to the polls, and Penn State will be a part of it in just a few weeks.

If you are already registered to vote, make sure to tell your friends about it -- there's no reason not to, and you could help them register if they haven't before. If you would like to register to vote, visit www.rockthevote.com, fill out the form with your address (use your campus address if you want to vote here), print it, sign it and drop it off at Represent Penn State's box at the HUB desk -- we'll collect them at 4:00 PM on Monday and turn them in.