George McGovern	Bob Dole

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- George McGovern and Bob Dole -- two men very familiar with presidential debates -- will share their political views with The University of Alabama community when they discuss current politics in a debate Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. in the Bryant Conference Center.

Both senior American statesmen, former senators, and presidential candidates, Dole and McGovern, will take part in a 90-minute debate as part of the UA Student Government Association’s (SGA) Voter Registration Campaign.

Dole and McGovern will discuss the 2004 Presidential election in November and the issues behind the election, with a special emphasis on the role that students can play in determining its outcome.

The event is free and open to UA students, faculty and staff and the community.

Recognized as one of the most prominent political figures of our time with a distinguished record of service, Dole continues to make a difference in the lives of the American people and is known for his candor and prairie wit.

Dole earned national acclaim for his leadership on behalf of the disadvantaged and Americans with disabilities, and for his mastery of foreign affairs.

As the Republican presidential nominee in 1996, Dole offered himself to Americans as an honorable leader. His candidacy for the White House cemented his reputation as an honest, respected statesman who will long be considered one of the most powerful senators and brilliant legislators of our times. In 1997, Dole was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom as a tribute to his character and contributions to the nation.

For the last quarter-century, no person has ranked higher in liberal causes and no person has been so identified with Democratic Party principles than has McGovern. From the farmland to the Oval Office, McGovern has brought new direction to many issues in American politics.

McGovern was a two-term member of the House of Representatives and a U.S. Senator for 18 years, and was the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee. His later bid for the White House in 1984 won him the respect of Democrats and Republicans alike for the class and reason he brought to his troubled party. In 2004, McGovern was honored for a lifetime of national service by the association of former congressmen.

A foreign policy scholar and long-time champion of the American farmer, McGovern was named by President Kennedy as the first director of the Food for Peace Program in 1960. The worldwide success of this program helped propel him to the Senate in 1962.

The UA SGA has spearheaded the campus effort to encourage students to vote and has already registered some 1,200 students to vote as of early October. This number is expected to increase in the weeks leading up to the election with the help of the Voter Registration Committee for the SGA.

The last day to register to vote is Oct. 22, and the election is on Nov. 2.

For more information on the debate or the UA Voter Registration Drive, contact Shelly Wallace, UA SGA press secretary, 205/585-0505, 348-7492, walla037@bama.ua.edu; Hal Mooty, UA SGA president at 205/348-6127, mooty001@bama.ua.edu; or Brinkley Serkedakis, SGA vice president for external affairs at 205/348-8265, serke001@bama.ua.edu.