When students enter the voting booth today and decide whom to vote for, their personal political affiliations, perceptions of candidates and the negative campaign ads they’ve seen are likely to flood their thoughts.

But some KU students disagree about which of those will affect students’ votes the most.

Lauren Patti, Roeland Park junior, interned for U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore’s (D-Kan.) office in Washington, D.C., last summer. She said students cared less about political affiliations and more about the issues each candidate put forth. She said Washington, D.C., politics had taken their toll on students.

“I honestly think in this election students are looking for someone who isn’t playing the same old game — saying one thing and doing another when they get to office,” Patti said. “They’re looking for someone who will represent them no matter what.”

Both parties have addressed popular topics, such as the economy, energy independence, health care and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Patti, who described herself as leaning liberal, said these issues would be at the forefront of many students’ minds. She said she and many other students hoped the outcome of this election would change the direction of the country.

“The past eight years haven’t worked out the way people had hoped for them to in 2000,” she said. “We’re in a ridiculously horrible economic crisis and two wars. I think that’s why people want to see change in Washington.”

Ryan Lawler, Bolingbrook, Ill., senior and community affairs director for the Student Legislative Awareness Board, said although students’ political allegiances were likely to play a huge role in this election, students would vote for the candidate they thought would be most effective.

“The more extreme you get to either side, the more you’re expecting them to stick to certain ideologies and viewpoints of the party,” he said.

Lawler, who voted for U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), said many people in his home state of Illinois felt allegiance to U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). Lawler said either president would do a fine job in the oval office.

“Even though I’m not voting for him, I can respect where he’s come from or what he’s done,” he said.

Lawler said a divided government, where no single party controlled both Congress and the White House, would produce the best results for the country because it forced parties to compromise. He said although many claimed that Republicans had spun the country out of control, the Democrats were just as out of control as they were in 2000.

“I’m always in favor of divided government and keeping checks and balances on the government,” he said.

A plethora of mud-slinging campaign ads have overwhelmed TV channels for months now.

Michael Gray, Buhler junior, said he thought some students would make decisions with the ads in mind because most didn’t have the time or interest to pay attention to multiple media outlets.

“When you pull information from multiple sources, you get a well-rounded perspective,” he said.

Although Obama would get his vote, Gray said either candidate would do a fantastic job. He said McCain’s years of experience in both the U.S. House and Senate were invaluable.

“When it comes down to it, I just think Obama would do a little bit better,” he said. “But it’s going to be close.”

For many others, though, it comes down to the issues they care about and where they think each candidate stands.

Aly Rodee, Wichita senior and student senator, said the economy was most important to her because she would be looking for a job after graduation in May. She said she liked McCain’s economic policy because she trusted his experience and agreed with returning the control of government to the people.

“Someone that knows what’s going on and can work on both sides with people to get something accomplished is important to me,” Rodee said.

She said although the economic woes affected everyone who voted, many students would vote for the candidate they could identify with and trust the most.

Rodee said she was concerned that negative campaign ads played too large a role in the way students voted. She said McCain’s campaign had struggled to emphasize one concept among its many mentions of “maverick” and “country first,” but Obama had successfully communicated a singular message of “change.”

“People relate to that because people want to see change,” she said. “But I think it will be close. I’m excited to see the spectacle of it all.”