With the November 5 elections approaching, members of various political party organizations at Brandeis have anticipated the results, proposed initiatives and what's at stake. Brandeis Democrats and Republicans prepare
Under Molly Parke '04, President of the Brandeis Democrats Club, the Brandeis Democrats have increased voter registration efforts on campus . "We have a position on our executive board dedicated to voter registration," Parke said.

Parke added that, because so many people at Brandeis want to vote, but are from out of state, many are forced to vote by absentee ballots. "Absentee ballots are very important at Brandeis because we have a lot of people voting in Massachusetts that are not from Waltham," Parke added.

The Brandeis College Republicans have also taken initiatives to get people involved in voting. "We have been trying to promote the Conservative ideology on campus and promote Mitt Romney and just add a balance to the political realm at Brandeis," Chair of Brandeis College Republicans Adrienne Camire '04 said.

Camire said that, in addition to promoting Republican ideology at Brandeis, the Brandeis College Republicans are also part of the Massachusetts Alliance of College Republicans, an organization made up of various college and university Republican clubs in the Boston area. She said this organization attends Republican campaigns and events in Boston.

Phone banking, targeting registered democrats and independents from a list compiled by the Secretary of State is another way the Brandeis Democrats have sought to improve voter turnout. When people phone-bank, they target a list of registered voters and want to know where the voters stand, and try to persuade them to vote in the elections."The O'Brien campaign is focusing on phone banking and event-planning," former president of the Brandeis Democrats Club, Kate Vogel '03 said.

Views of candidates
While some students here support the gubernatorial candidates, other say they feel they are not representative of their parties. "Romney is trying too hard to appease social liberals . it's realistic because I feel he has to do that to win in Massachusetts," Republican, Abe Storer '03 said. Storer said that he feels none of the politicians in Massachusetts represents his socially conservative views. "I feel the Conservative politics in Massachusetts are fiscally conservative.There is not a strong representation for the social conservative voice."

Gelfand also agreed. "Neither of their records are impressive . they aren't good representatives for what they stand for." Gelfand said that both O'Brien and Romney want to expand the role of government, when in reality, the national Republicans platform encourages decreased government interference. "There's really not that much difference between O'Brien and Mitt Romney." Gelfand emphasized Romney is a big government Republican and of conservatives.

Vogel also agreed that Romney is not representative of his political stances. "He pretends to be a liberal because he is in Massachusetts . he's an entirely different man in Utah and I worry what he will be after election day," she said.

Others, however, said they feel the gubernatorial candidates are well-qualified to represent the state of Massachusetts. "Shannon O'Brien is the only candidate that knows how to run

Massachusetts and make the state great," Parke said. Parke said that O'Brien is endorsed by a variety of Feminist Organizations, the most famous one being the National Organization for Women (NOW). Parke also said she advocates O'Brien's in that she is pro-choice, pro-civil union, and understands education in that she is committed to children.

Vogel agreed with these sentiments and added she supports O'Brien because of her commitment to the people. "In any time of an economic crisis, the commitment of our state to its people is tested, our human services are at risk, education is on the line, and we need a progressive leader who cares more about people than business," Vogel said. Vogel also added that Mitt Romney is a businessman who is not committed to the people of
Massachusetts.
But, Camire said she supports Romney's platform. "He's bringing in a fresh approach. He's been in the private sector. He'll bring that in the realm of politics and clean out Beacon Hill," Camire said. "It's a positive attribute that he is able to put the state's interests ahead of his own," Camire said.
Camire also emphasized that O'Brien, who has lived in Massachusetts all of her life will not have the capacity to clean up the commonwealth. "You're going to need someone from the outside if you are going to clean up Beacon Hil," she said.

Repeal of the income tax
Ballot question one calls for a repeal of the state income tax. " (Repeal of the income tax).I believe would be devastating to Massachusetts. We're already in a situation where we are in a budget deficit," Parke said. I really want question one to fail because it would be devastating to the state of Massachusetts," Parke added.
Vogel said she also agreed that the repeal of the income tax would have negative effects for the state. "(Ending the state income tax) would be a terrible thing to the state of education for Massachusetts," Vogel said.
The Brandeis College Republicans said they also will vote "No" on this ballot question. "The proposed plan to abolish the income tax will have detrimental effects on the state. It will mean a loss of revenue and throw the state budget into chaos which are just some of the reasons to vote against it no matter what party you choose to support during the election," Camire said.
Justin Gelfand '05, who calls himself a libertarian conservative, said he supports the state income tax. "It's a step in the right direction to give state taxpayers back their money," Gelfand said.

Bilingual Education
Parke explained that according to the proposed act,after one year of bilingual education, students would be thrown into classrooms, where would be on track with other students in their grade. Parke said she does not support this ballot question because teachers can be held responsible or even sued for speaking in a language other than English. "It could have a devastating effect on the teachers in Massachusetts in general . I think the law is educationally unsound," Parke said.
But, Camire said she had a different view and the Brandeis College Republicans will vote "Yes" to this ballot question. "The current system shelters children and does not allow them to acclimate to the norms of society prior to having to compete within it. This limits their opportunities for success in the future. A 'Yes'-vote will help prepare children properly prior to entering the world of higher education and the workplace," Camire said.
Vogel said however, the Bilingual Education Act could have detrimental effects on the state of Massachusetts. " I think it's a really scary idea to sue teachers," Vogel said.

Clean Elections
As for the third ballot question, both the Republicans and the Democrats also have contesting views. "BCR's (Brandeis College Republicans) supports a "No"-vote on Question 3," Camire said.
Parke, however, said she supports this ballot initiative. "Voting yes on question 3 means the legislature will fund the bill. The clean elections bill is true campaign reform. People who have been excluded from the democratic process will have the chance to be included," Parke said.

Battle for House and Senate
The battle for the House and Senate is another factor at stake during this year's nationwide elections . "(The battle for the House and Senate) is really at stake for the race," Parke said.
"I think the Senate is going to be close . Paul Wellstone was a true liberal . it definitely means this Senate battle is going to be more crucial.regaining the house will be tough," Vogel said.
"If the Democrats take Congress and hold the Senate, we can have a two-party government," Parke said.
Camire said she agreed the Congress should uphold the notion of two-party politics. "It's especially important that we get elected in order to keep the notion of two-party politics alive in Massachusetts."

A close race
According to polls of who will win the race for Massachusetts governor, students at Brandeis said they have different views. "I think it depends on voter turnout . strong voter turnout will be necessary for O'Brien to win," Vogel said.
Parke also said she is anticipating who will because the Gubernatorial Candidate for Massachusetts because the race is tight. She said it depends on who decides to go to the polls on election day. " It's coming down to 3 percent of voters.the race is so close . nobody will know who wins until election day."
"I think it's going to be a close race ... I think in the end, Mitt (Romney) is going to pull through ... votes are going to count this time," Camire said.