Students, take note: There is an election Dec. 6, and the candidates for that election will be participating in a forum on campus tonight at 7 p.m. in Murphy Hall, room 130.

The Dec. 6 election is the primary date for a special election to fill the open Senate District 59 seat, which represents the University area. The general election is not until Jan. 10, but the winner of the DFL primary is all but guaranteed victory âÄî the district went for the DFL by a margin of 78-22 in 2010.

If students want their voices heard, they must take part in the primary process. Students should get to know the candidates and vote Dec. 6. That work of familiarizing yourself with candidates can be done by participating in the candidate forum Monday night, of which the Minnesota Daily is a sponsor. The candidates will talk about higher education and answer questions from the audience.

Oftentimes in government, student voices are shut out of the process. This is mostly because student turnout is usually low, especially on unusual election dates and in years where there isnâÄôt a presidential election. Legislators feel that they can disregard student opinion because they wonâÄôt be penalized at the ballot box for doing so.

Students must buck this trend in the special election for Minnesota Senate District 59 on Dec. 6. The seat was formerly held by a champion of higher education, Larry Pogemiller, who Gov. Mark Dayton recently appointed as the stateâÄôs Director of the Office of Higher Education. Students must make their voices heard and replace Pogemiller with someone equally supportive of higher education and other student interests.