The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - 7 SUPREME COURT From Page 1 ruling opinions. And the Supreme Court race is the lone one on the Michigan ballotthat doesn't list the party affiliation of the candidate. Because of that, Todd Berg, editor of Michi- gan Lawyers Weekly, said that predicting how Tuesday's vote will impact rulings would be difficult. As it stands,the court consists of five Repub- licans and two Democrats. Bergsaid four of the Republicans justices and the two Democrats usually vote in opposition of each other, while Republican Elizabeth Weaver normally serves as the deciding justice. If Taylor, a Republican,-is defeated, many decisions could come down to Weaver's vote, with the three Democrats including Hathaway voting in one bloc and the other three Republi- cans voting in another bloc. Despite this assessment, Hathaway said she would be independent if elected to the Court. "I am neither left nor right. I follow the law," Hathaway said. "It's not the job of a judge to let his political agenda interfere with his rulings. The law is the law. And that is what must be respected and upheld."' However, research on campaign finances by the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, suggests both Taylor and Hathaway might have potential problems in expressing their judicial independence. Rich Robinson, executive director of Michi- gan Campaign Finance Network, said the candidates have raised more than $2 million combined and that an additional $1.78 million has been spent on their campaigns by the Mich- igan Chamber of Commerce and the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee. He said the funding could pose problems for judges who should be impartial in their rules, but could have conflicts of interest because of such contributions. "There was a study in the 1990s in which, 80 percent of the cases selected had a litigant or counsel that made a contribution to at least one justice," said Robinson. He added that there was no way to know how much effect such con- tributions had on the justices' rulings. Hathaway has repeatedly accused Taylor of showing favoritism toward the insurance industry and judicial activism through her advertising. Colleen Pero, Justice Taylor's campaign manager, disagreed with Hathaway's assess- ment, saying that the Taylor court has brought clarity to understanding Michigan law. Pero said the Michigan Supreme Court developed a reputation for having no majority opinion on a numberof cases in the 1980s. The Court would issue three or more opinions and the justices would not back any opinion by a majority, thus failing to make any of the state- ments law, she said. "It was a period of time when you could not be certain how the court would come down on one issue or another," she said. Pero'also defended Taylor against the notion that consistently ruling in favor of a group, like the insurance industry, was a display of favorit- ism. "We have to get away from a statistical anal- ysis," she said. "You should look at whether or not the court is applying the facts of the case." The Obama campaign holds a training session yesterday in the Law School for lawyers and law students serving as poll monitors. Both par- ties are expected to send "challengers' and poll watchers to voting precincts today. POLLS From Page 1 a lot of lawyers have volunteered to go out to poll districts to make sure that no one is using the challenge process inap- propriately," she said. "No one should be challenged from voting unless there's a good reason." One of the most common challenges will stem from Michigan's photo iden- tification requirement, which requires Michigan voters to show photo ID before they vote. But for many stu- dents, an out-of-state driver's license MUSLIMS From Page 1 servative commentators have made reference to the Illinois senator's mid- dle name, Hussein, to suggest that he is Muslim even though he has long been a member of a Christian church. Dawud Walid, executive director of the state chapter of the nonpartisan Council on American Islamic Relations, said Muslims have been disappointed with the way the word "Muslim" has been used in a derogatory sense during the election cycle. Despite their disap- pointment, Walid and Muslim leaders at the University of Michigan believe Muslims will play an active role in today's election. Many Muslims were offended when two Muslim women wearing traditional Islamic headscarves were barred from appearing behind Obama at a rally at Joe LouisArenainDetroit.Obamalatercalled the two women to apologize, and publicly expressed regret about the incident. LSA senior Yamaan Saadeh, president of the Muslim Student Association at the University's Ann Arbor campus, said he ANALYSIS From Page 1 have been interested in adding young people to the rolls by getting them reg- istered and then getting them to the polls," Traugott said. "This has not been historically a successful strat- egy." In every election since 1972 - the first presidential election after the passage of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 - turnout among those aged 18-24 has trailed that of voters aged 25 years and older by about 20 percent, according to The Center for Informa- tion and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. Traugott attributes the lacklus- ter youth turnout to the fact that the policies and proposals championed by major-party candidates do not neces- sarily affect voters in that age group. "Most young people aren't paying property taxes, they don't own homes, they don't have kids in school," he said. "Their attachments to the community are weaker." But that was also the case in 1960, when the presidential bid of John F. Kennedy energized America's youth and ignited a decade of political activ- ism. Many have made the parallel between Kennedy and Obama. Both young, progressive and with larger than life rhetoric, Kennedy and Obama had cozy relationships with young vot- ers. John Kingdon, a professor emeritus of political science, said the funda- mentals of this election, like President Bush's unpopularity, and the explicit appeal to young voters from Obama's campaign could allow the Illinois Senator To disprove the longstanding political theory of young voter apar- thy. "It looks as though Obama actually will stimulate young people to turn out at the polls," he said. "More than they have in the past, and more than they did when Kennedy was running." But the political engagement of today's youth is not that surprising. This is a generation that watched the events of September 11, 2001 in middle may have a different address than the one on their registration card. Students using out-of-state IDs may be challenged, even though such iden- tification is valid for use at the polls. If voters forget their IDs, they can sign an affidavit and they'll be able to vote, Moss said. Another problem students may face is if they've moved since they first reg- istered to vote, but haven't changed their registration. Voters who have moved within the same city or township are still able to vote at their old precinct. But voters who've moved to a different city more thought Obama's apology repaired most of the damage done. He said the event was a "turning point," after which the campaign was more aware of how it was received by Muslims. There's no available data on Mus- lim voter registration in Michigan, but Dearborn City Clerk Kathleen Buda said about 60,600 people are registered to vote in the heavily Islamic city, up about 2,000 from four years ago. At the University's Dearborn campus, the Muslim Student Association last week invited Walid to speak at an event titled Our Role in Politics. Anticipating large turnout, Buda's office purchased 500 portable "privacy booths" to be distributed to the city's 50 polling places. Buda said her office has also arranged to have five to seven workers at each poll, when in the past some only had three. Saadeh predicted alarge Muslim turn- out this year, though he said the organi- zation hasn't been politically engaged this year. Senior Majed Afana, president of MSA at the Dearborn campus, echoed Saadeh's prediction, saying many MSA members there had been working with the Obama and McCain campaigns. school, formed their political opinions under the leadership of a single presi- dent and will now enter the job mar- ket facingthis nation's worst economic climate since the Great Depression. Many argue, like Kingdon, that this will be the year for America's youth to head to the polls in record numbers. Obama's counting on it. His campaign has focused on mak- ingan ambivalentvotingbloceviable for the first time in modern American pol- itics, and sought their support in ways no campaign has ever done before. He sent text and e-mail messages and used social networking websites to make campaign announcements, ask supporters to volunteer and remind them to vote. He has advertised in video games. Popular musicians have recorded songs and produced viral vid- eos to support the candidate. But ulti- mately, his actions beg the question: why spend so much time and dedicate so many campaign staffers to gaining ground with a group that doesn't vote? If 18 to 24 year olds stay at home today, Traugott said the election could be a nail-biter for Obama. But with their support,, Traugott said, Obama can count on expanding his margin of victory nationally by at least two or three percent. While a slim difference in terms of the popular vote, increased turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds could tilt some swing states, consider- ing President Bush's narrow victories in Florida and Ohio in 2000 and 2004. Because of this potential impact, the Obama team, through its rhetoric and campaign strategy, has methodically courted America's youth by promising that the Democratic presidential con- tender will loosen the nation's political gridlock and stabilize the economy. "He's tried to explain in very gen- eral terms about what's wrong and what could be better," Traugott said of Obama. "He's cast himself as the agent of change and therefore he needs their support in order to bring about change." Though it has grown more concrete in recent months, the rhetoric of the Obama campaign has been built on the soaring terminology of change - a direct appeal to young people fed up with the way the government is being than 60 days ago are ineligible to vote unless they're registered at their new address. Moss said students should be aware of other "groundless challenges," even if they seem less relevantcto them. During the 2004 election, many vot- ers who were behind in their child sup- port payments were turned away from the polls, as were ex-felons, she said. Moss said she's heard concerns from prospective voters concerning fore- closure lists. The notion that someone will be disqualified because their house has been foreclosed upon, though, is untrue, she said. Saadeh said he felt the McCain cam- paign has offended Muslims more than the Obama campaign, but that neither campaign has embraced the group. ' "The Muslim comnunity was pretty disappointed with Obama for, I don't know how to say it, but not intellectu- ally denying it the waythatColin Powell did," Saadeh said, referring to Obama's strong denials that he is Muslim. But Saadeh said he didn't think Obama's handling of the issue hurt him in the race because he feels harsh treat- ment of Muslims is common. "We're used to that kind of rhetoric," he said. "It wasn't really much of a sur- prise because the rhetoric in the media over the last seven years has been very anti-Muslim." Walid said he felt Obama's campaign was still treating Muslims better than his opponent's. "The McCain campaign has spent virtually zero time in reaching out to Muslims," he said. "In the 2004 elec- tion, the Muslim community over- whelmingly voted for John Kerry over George Bush, and similarly, I believe that people are supporting Obama more so as a vote against McCain." "The general tone is optimistic, based upon doing better and contrib- uting to do better," Traugott said of Obama's campaign. "Trying to talk not so much about the past, but talking about how things can be improved in the United States and how young peo- ple can contributed to that improve- ment." To get this message to America's youth,theObamacampaignhaspoured unprecedented levels of resources into turning outthese historically apathetic voters. The campaign began by holding massive voter registration drives on college campuses and in urban areas. While working with paid Obama field organizers, the University's chapter of College Democrats reported collecting registration forms from about 4,500 students between the start of the fall semester and Michigan's Oct. 6 regis- tration deadline. But Obama still faces the challenge of getting those newly registered young people to the polls. The Obama campaign has asked volunteers, many of them college stu- dents, to make phone calls and knock on doors, making sure every support- er has cast a ballot by 8 p.m. tonight. Canvassers helped supporters who couldn't make it to the polls request absentee ballots. In the 34 statescthatcallow registered voters to cast ballots prior to Election Day, such as North Carolina and Ohio, the campaign has been trying to run up the score as much as it can even before people head to the polls today. One aspect of this has been mobiliz- ing young people to vote early to avoid potential conflicts, like class, on Elec- tion Day. A Washington Post-ABC News tracking poll found that about 30 percent of expected voters had cast their ballots early, supporting Obama by a margin of 20 percentage points. If young voters, who currently make up 13 percent of the electorate, do indeed turn out to overwhelmingly support Obama, they could change the role they play in lawmakers' decisions and future campaigns. College Democrats chair Nathan- iel Eli Coats Styer said he's optimistic about the possibility. "We won't be relegated to the side- lines anymore," he said. STEM CELLS From Page 1 discarded. Michigan's ban on cloning would not be affected by the proposal. Sean Morrison, director of the University's Center for Stem Cell Biology, said Proposal 2, if passed, would create broader research opportunities in the state. "We will be able to expand our research programs into embryonic stem cell research, take new apprpaches in treating disease, and we'll have a better opportunity to compete for grants from the federal government and pri- vate organizations that are currently funding embryonic stem cell research," he said. Sue O'Shea, director of the Michigan Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research, said passing Proposal 2 would impact on students. "It would allow us to train our students to do that kind of work, which I currently cannot allow our students to do because I can't train them,"O'Sheasaid. Michigan Citizens Against Unrestricted Sci- ence and Experimentation (MiCAUSE), a group opposedto Proposal2, offers several reasons why the initiative shouldn't pass. In advertisements, the group has argued that passing Proposal 2 would raise taxesto conduct the research. According to the MiCAUSE website, Proposal 2 contains "deceptive language, which alludes to the allowance of cloning human embryos.' In additionthesiteclaimsthatthe proposalpermits unregulated research on live human embryos, which means thatcells can be taken from embry- os more than14 days after cell division. It's unlikely that Proposal 2 would have those effects, though. The proposal explicitly prohibits taking cells from embryos more than 14 days after cell division and says it won't change Michigan's prohibition on human cloning. The proposal also doesn't allocate any state money to fund stem cell research. If Proposal 2 fails, Morrison said, the Uni- versity would continue to struggle in its efforts to recruit stem cell researchers to campus. "If Michigan wants to have a life sciences sector, it can't achieve that by having policies that are hostile to some of the most excit- ing opportunities in life sciences," Morrison said. PRESIDENT From Page 1 McCain is likely to focus on tax incentives for small businesses, Obama would emphasize job creation through new industries like alterna- tive energy. "Most of what is meaningful for students involves their prospects of getting a good job when they graduate, and that's goingto depend on turning the economy around," Traugott said. "Both are very interested in job creation, but by different processes." Of the two, he said McCain is more con- cerned with foreign policy and Obama's plat- form focuses more on domestic issues. "While John McCain is also interested in domestic policy, he's more concerned about America's military role in the world - these activities in Iraq in Afghanistan are very expensive and divert money from domestic programs," Traugott said. . But while presidential hopefuls discuss the affordability of healthcare, foreign spending and gas prices, students worry about paying for their college education. According to the College Board, the cost of tuition has increased 27 percent over the last decade. With more and more families hitchard by MARIJUANA From Page 1 rosis) and other conditions as may be approved by the Department of Community Health." Public Health Prof. Peter Jacobson said medici- nal marijuana could be therapeutic for chemo- therapy patients. "Manyusers ofmedicalmarijuana also report that it acts to diminish pain and allows patients to be more relaxed," he said. According to a poll reported by the Detroit Free Press on Sunday, Michigan voters support the proposal 61 percentto 30 percent, with nine percentundecided. If the proposal passes, the Department of Community Health would establish an identi- fication card system, both for the patients per- mitted to use marijuana and for those allowed to grow marijuana. Individuals registered to grow marijuana would be instructed to do so in an "enclosed, locked facility." Opponents to Proposal 1 include Gov. Jen- nifer Granholm and Attorney General Michael Cox. Granholm has argued that the proposal would open up the possibility for the legaliza- tion of marijuana in the future. A coalition group called Citizens Protecting Michigan's Kids opposes the medical marijuana law, pointingto several loopholes in the propos- al. One is that anyone arrested for a marijuana offense would be able to invoke medical reasons in court. Public Health Prof. Donald Vereen said he would be more supportive of the bill if it acknowledged the fact that it will make marijuana more available and thus "puts young people more at risk." The proposal also would allow doctors to interpret what constitutes a "debilitating medical condi- tion" that could be treated by medical mari- the nation's struggling economy, money for col- lege is becoming increasingly hard to come by. On their websites, both candidates suggest simplifying the application process for federal aid, providing more money for Pell grants and cutting interest rates on loans. Political Science Prof. Vincent Hutchings said the candidates differ in the amount of federal financial aid they would provide to stu- dents. "The Democrat is more apt to provide some governmental assistance to students for col- lege and that's probably less of a priority for John McCain," he said. The next president will have to decide on whether to support the possible acquisition of Chrysler by General Motors. Yesterday, the Bush administration refused to provide assis- tance. Auto companies likeGM and Ford have been pressuring the government to provide more emergency funding to the auto industry as part of the bailout package. "The merger will have a big impact on Mich- igan because it will involve a consolidation and that's job losses, usually," Traugott said. Hutchings said McCain is less likely than Obama to provide supportto local governments. "Given the economic problems in the state, we could probably use that support," he said. juana. Public Health Prof. Peter Jacobson said; if passed, the interpretation would depend on the situation. "If the term is not defined, then each treating physician will make that determination. In the alternative, the state licensure board or medical professionals will devise guidelines to define the term," he said. Under the proposal, patients would have a say in what type of medication they would like, which could include medicinal marijuana. Jacobson said "it is ultimately the physician's decision on what therapeutic dosage to pre- scribe." Jacobson said patients cannot become addicted to the drug as a result of medical use. Some researchers argue marijuana is psycho- logically addictive, but there is no evidence of physical addiction, as is the case for many other drugs. Jacobson added that doctors will not stop prescribing other pain relievers in favor of mari- juana. "There's no indication in California that physicians routinely substitute medical mari- joana for other pain relievers," he said. "Doing so could also expose physicians to liability liti- gation." Jacobson does not believe.that the proposal will lead to any significant increase in marijua- na use amongthe general public. "People who want to take it to self-medicate for a range of non-life threatening issues may try to obtain prescriptions," Jacobson said. "In my opinion, the risk is minimal. Those who want to smoke marijuana already have easy access to it." Jacobsonsaidthe passage ofProposallwould have only a minimal effecton Ann Arbor. "Some students may take it as a signal that smoking marijuana will not be penalized, but medical and recreational use will be treated quite differently," he said.