For many of Penn's out-of-state students, the question is not if, but where, to vote during this year's presidential election.
Students hailing from states like Colorado, Virginia, Florida and Ohio, where polls still indicate close races between Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama and his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, must decide where they think their vote will have the greatest impact.
In recent polling, as many as 14 states, including Pennsylvania, are considered to be close. Obama holds a 7.6 percent advantage over McCain in Pennsylvania, according to Real Clear Politics polling averages.
The balance of one swing-state's importance over another has "remained very fluid," said Randall Miller, a St. Joseph's history professor and political analyst.
Miller said the large number of still-undecided voters is a reason many states have failed to solidify for one candidate or another.
He added that tonight's vice-presidential debate, the two other presidential debates and the progression of the Wall Street crisis will continue to affect how voters perceive the race.
Student political groups on campus have been racing to register new voters before Pennsylvania's Oct. 6 voter-registration deadline. But not all students are rushing to vote here.
College sophomore Amelia Ahlgren has decided to vote in her home state of New Hampshire, where polls show Obama leads by less than a point.
Ahlgren voted there in January during the state's "first-in-the-nation" primary, and wants to vote there again this fall.
Over the summer, she worked as a volunteer for Jeanne Shaheen, the Democratic candidate for Senate, and said she'd like to vote for her, as well.
Lauren Burdette, president of the Penn Democrats - one of many organizations on campus helping to register new voters - said if students say they are not from a state with a close race, then she tries to convince them to vote in Pennsylvania, a perennial swing state.
In 2004, Democratic candidate John Kerry defeated Republican President George Bush in Pennsylvania by just 114,000 votes out of nearly 6 million cast.
There are plenty of reasons for most of Penn's students to register in the state, even for students from states with close races, Burdette said.
"It's easier to actually vote here than it is to fill out an absentee ballot," she said. "Students live here nine months out of the year, longer than they physically live in their home states."
Both Obama and McCain have parts of their Web sites dedicated to educating voters about where and how to vote.
Registration deadlines vary between states, as do requirements for registering.
"If students are going to do something, they have to do it in the next few days," Miller said. "Time is running out."
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