For Rachel Berman-Vaporis '11, absolutely nothing is more important than her vote for Sen. Barack Obama in next week's election."I am supporting Barack Obama because he is the only hope the United States has," she said.

A registered Democrat from Indiana, Pa., Berman-Vaporis supported Sen. John Edwards in the Democratic primaries but is now firmly behind Obama.

"I was disappointed with how the primaries turned out, but I support Barack Obama 100 percent," she said.

RealClearPolitics.com predicts that Pennsylvania will vote Democratic in this election. In the past two elections, however, Pennsylvania was considered a swing state. The Democratic candidate won the state in 2000 and 2004, but it has been by a slim margin both times.

"I'm voting in Pennsylvania because it is a swing state, and there my vote will count more [than in Massachusetts]," Berman-Vaporis said.

Among Brandeis students from swing states -- states where the voting population is split between Democrats and Republicans -- most have registered to vote in their home states, hoping that their vote will tip the balance toward their preferred candidate. Although the large majority of Brandeis students from swing states traditionally vote Democratic, swing state residents who don't belong to any political party are also making a point of registering to vote in their home states.

RealClearPolitics.com currently lists Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Missouri, Indiana and Montana as the most evenly split swing states in the upcoming election. The Web site also lists Colorado, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Georgia and New Mexico as too close to call.

This semester, the Student Union developed the Brandeis Votes initiative, which allowed students to register to vote in Massachusetts or their home state. According to Union Director of Communications Jamie Ansorge '09, approximately 150 students signed up to vote through the Brandeis Votes program. The majority of students from swing states, however, were already registered in their home states.

George Falk '11 of Chelsea, Mich. exemplifies the active support students from swing states have demonstrated in this election. Although polls suggest that Michigan, traditionally a swing state, will vote Democratic, as it did in the previous two presidential elections, the Obama supporter isn't willing to take any chances.

Falk is registered to vote in Michigan and plans to vote for Obama. He explained that the lack of Democratic support across the state makes it difficult to predict a solid win for Obama.

"At this point I'm worried about the Obama supporters being too condensed," Falk said. "[Democrats are] taking the districts that they're going to take without a problem, but [they are] not being spread out enough to win over enough districts."

Similarly, Obama supporter Alissa Perman '11 of Falls Church, Va. wasted no time in registering to vote in her home state.

According to RealClearPolitics.com, Virginia voted Republican in the last two elections, but the state is currently evenly split between parties. Perman explained that her hometown northern Virginia traditionally votes Democratic, while southern Virginia tends to vote Republican.

Sara Miller '11 of Fairfax, Va. isn't officially registered with either party but supports Obama for president. Although she's heard that Obama is leading in northern Virginia, Miller was hesitant to predict which way her home state would vote this year.

"I think it's going to be a really close call between the growing liberal populations in northern Virginia . and the conservative rest of the state," she said.

Several Brandeis students who worked on Democratic campaigns over the summer see their participation in the upcoming election as crucial.

Student Union president Jason Gray '10 is returning to Broward County, Fla. this week to help garner last-minute support for Chris Chiari, the Democratic candidate for representative of Florida House District 91. Gray worked on Chiari's campaign over the summer.

For Florida Democrats like Gray, their vote this year is essential. RealClearPolitics.com currently lists Florida as the most evenly split state between the two presidential candidates, but Florida voted for George W. Bush in the last two elections.

In North Carolina, tensions between Democrats and Republicans remain high as Election Day approaches.

Tamar Ariel '10 of Chapel Hill, N.C. is concerned with more than just the presidential election. Ariel worked this summer for her local congressman, David Price, and explained that the senatorial and gubernatorial races are also extremely close.

Knowing the significance of her Democratic support, Ariel says, "I registered to vote [as a Democrat] the day after I turned 18." Ariel said she recently cast her absentee ballot vote for Obama.

Even students who don't necessarily identify as Democrats but hail from swing states recognize the significance of their vote.

Miriam Polakof '10 of Pepper Pike, Ohio explained the importance of voting in her home state.

"I'm voting in Ohio, both because I still consider it my home and because my vote probably has more influence there," Polakof wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.

In the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, George Bush won Ohio's electoral votes by a very small margin. While Ohio is still considered a battleground state, Obama is expected to win Ohio's vote in the upcoming election, according to RealClearPolitics.com.

Polakof was initially uncertain about which candidate to support, but knowing how much her vote would matter, Polakof said she attended Rock the Vote-an event hosted by Student Events Sept. 23 to educate students about the election -- and researched each presidential candidate's platforms until she could make an informed decision.

"I don't really identify with any party and I'm pretty moderate . so it took me a while to decide who to vote for," Polakof wrote. "I took it pretty seriously to research each candidate."

Polakof declined to say which candidate she ultimately decided to support.

Despite the uncertainty of their states' roles in a historic election, Democrats from swing states demonstrate unwavering support for their party's candidates.

Referencing the division between the Democrats in northern Virginia and the Republicans in southern Virginia, Perman is ready for the battle.

"Basically what I'm saying is, 'Northern Virginia, represent!" she said.