Voices for Change: Tim in Indiana

October 6, 2008

Tim from Noblesville, Indiana is excited to be casting his first vote ever for Barack Obama.

The 20-year-old junior political science major at Purdue University is excited that his vote is going to count in this election.

It means a lot to be casting my first presidential vote for Obama. And I’m excited that Indiana is a swing state. My vote’s going to make a difference. I want to say that I voted for him. He’s a historic candidate and the right candidate.

I support Obama because the politics of the past eight years – the politics I few up with — have been a nightmare, but he restored my hope in American politics. He believes that we can rise above and accomplish something bigger and better than ourselves.

As a college student, tuition is a big issue for Tim.

College tuition is out of control. I want to go to law school, but there’s no way my family can afford that. My sister has $70,000 in loans, and she just wanted to be a teacher. Now she’s teaching and making $35,000 per year. How is she supposed to pay that off?

Barack Obama has a plan to help every American student afford college. Obama’s plan will give a $4,000 refundable tax credit to every American student, which will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Read more about the Obama-Biden education plan.

The economy also concerns Tim, since he and his classmates will be joining the workforce soon.

My classmates are terrified about going out into the economy. That’s a clear indicator that something is very wrong.

Tim says his whole family is voting for Obama.

My sister is voting for Obama, my mom is voting for Obama… even my dad, who used to be a Republican. I can guarantee seven votes in my family for Obama. And now I’m trying to convince my Republican roommates. I think I can do it!

Though he’s struggling on a student budget, Tim donated to the campaign a few weeks ago, and says he plan to donate again.

I don’t know how much I can afford, but I believe in his campaign and believe he will do great things, so I’ll do what I can. This is important.

Make sure you’re registered to vote by visiting VoteForChange.com.

And if you can find a little to spare in your budget this month, join Tim and contribute to our movement for change. Because Tim’s right – this is important.