Approximately 40 members of the University and greater Raleigh communities gathered at N.C . State’s “Rock the Vote 2011” event Sunday night to discuss participating in the October 11 local elections.

According to Jim Martin, chemistry professor and Wake County Board of Education candidate, students have the potential to change the local government, but they have to want to do so.

“The Wolfpack can have a real impact on the community by coming out to vote,” Martin said. “You hear a lot of people talk about ‘The Government, but a democracy is of, for and by the people. You and I need to be the government, and the only way to do that is to be engaged.”

However, mayoral candidate Nancy McFarlane said she hopes students will remain active in their local government long after Tuesday’s elections are over.

“It’s really important not just to vote, but to be engaged along the way,” McFarlane said. “We need to grow in a thoughtful, mindful way and we need your talents, time and investment in our community.”

Lauren Caddick , sophomore in art and design, said she attended the event to show support for Martin and to hear what the other candidates had to say about the condition of Wake County Schools.

“[Martin]’s probably the best candidate we’ve got for the Wake County School Board,” Caddick said. “Wake County schools are in a lot of trouble right now, and I want to know what positivity [candidates] are going to bring and what changes they’re going to make so the Wake County school system lives up to the great city Raleigh is.”

For Nancy Thai, sophomore in biological sciences and event co-organizer, the event was still a success despite low turnout numbers.

“I was pretty happy with [the event]. We were expecting a little bit more people, but any turnout is good,” Thai said. “Sometimes [low turnout] is because people think, ‘Oh there are so many people, my one vote won’t matter.’ But those votes add up, and they’ll make a change. It might be a baby step, but it’s still a change.”

According to Alex Chin, junior in mathematics and economics and event co-organizer, this event may be a recurring one.

“We may look into doing this every year,” Chin said. “We wouldn’t focus on particular candidates, but rather on getting candidates from both sides to come out here to try to get more students involved no matter how they decide to vote.”

McFarlane said she hopes more students will participate in the elections Tuesday given N.C . State’s prominence in Raleigh.

“I just found out that today is part of the University’s fall break, so given that I’m really happy people came out.  The University is a huge partner with the city, and I think there are a lot of things we need to do in conjunction with N.C . State,” McFarlane said. “So it’s important to get out and vote. It’s your future.”