Now that we are about 10 months away from midterm elections, things are really starting to heat up. I mean that both in terms of campaigns and media coverage, and also in terms of temperature. You see, since I have the best job in the world, I somehow finagled the first Smackdown Your Vote! Forum to take place in Fort Myers, Fla., on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU).

For those of you that don’t know anything about FGCU, it was founded in 1997 as Florida’s 10th state college. When I left Harvard (25 degrees Fahrenheit) the morning of the event, I was still a little tired from staying up celebrating Harvard’s 370th birthday. So for a guy like me, who didn’t know you could still create universities out of nothing, it was like going to the moon. But now that I’ve been there, I’m going to return to Cambridge and advise we move Harvard onto one of the giant swaths of land next door. They have their own campus beach!

On the evening of the 18th, I was joined by Smackdown Your Vote!’s old friend State Senator Dave Aronberg (D), and Smackdown Your Vote!’s newest friend, State Senator Burt Saunders (R). When I learned that FGCU also had an on campus pub (!), I demanded that we hold the forum there. A Smackdown Your Vote! Forum is an exciting cross between an old fashioned debate and a town hall meeting. Naturally, I led the discussion on various topics drawn from our 2006 18-30 Voter Issues Paper.

We discussed state funding for higher education, access to affordable health care, and how to create good jobs in Florida. But when the discussion was led by the students, we also learned a lot about what was on their minds: how the state deals with behaviorally challenged high school students, why they don’t fund more social workers in schools, how politicians draw inspiration for new legislation, and how a state senator determines how to prioritize his efforts.

For those who were there, it was a fascinating sneak peek into the minds of some very motivated, accomplished, and respected public servants. Senators Saunders and Aronberg were honest, forthright, and weren’t afraid to disagree. Unfortunately, no arguments escalated to violence. Maybe next time.

All in all, the Smackdown Your Vote! Forum was a great way to break in this very important 2006 election year. If you are interested in holding a forum on your campus in 2006, drop SYV! a line. Time to start double checking to make sure you are registered! And time for us to create an election system where you don’t have to double check! But that’s another discussion.

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