With the Iowa caucus 30 days away and the New Hampshire primary only a week after Iowa, the presidential candidates have kicked their campaigns into full gear for the final stretch. They’ve been on the road for months, some for even a year now, spending much of their time in those early primary and caucus states. But some have brought their campaigns through the Triangle.

While former North Carolina Senator and Democratic Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards’ campaign headquarters are located in Chapel Hill, Illinois Senator Barack Obama visited Durham last month, and former New York City, Republican candidate Mayor Rudy Giuliani held a fundraiser here in Raleigh on Monday night.

North Carolina’s primary isn’t until May 6, and by then each party’s nominee will, for all intents and purposes, already be decided. But that doesn’t mean North Carolina voters, and especially students, should not know the issues.

With a pushed up timetable for this election, many states are flexing their electoral power earlier in the process, and voters are getting an earful of talk from all the candidates.

Much of that talk has been geared to the 18-to-24-year-old voter. CNN has partnered with YouTube in hosting debates. Candidates are giving speeches on college campuses, and MTV has ramped up its coverage of the election, granting candidates spots on the channel and featuring a number of commercials for them.

Candidates are hoping for a ground swell of support from the nation’s college students. It’s the college students who provide most of the man power behind a presidential election. Without the support and hard work from college students, many presidential campaigns would fold.

Now is one of the best times to pay attention, as the two main political parties are not fully at odds with each other on the campaign trail. Each party is looking for its own voice and each candidate is setting his or her stance on a variety of issues.

One of the more prevalent criticisms of candidates in the 2004 election was the flip-flopping of stances on the issues. Voters need to be aware of where candidates stand now to make sure they get a complete picture of each.

Now is the time when all Americans should take an active interest in what’s happening in the political landscape as what is decided in the next few months will impact our country for years.