Wash. U students coming from states across the country are in a unique position to influence the 2004 election.

While voting is important in every locale across the country, because of the setup of the US Electoral College system, when voting for president battleground states become more important than other states.  This situation arises because the actual votes that determine the next president (electoral votes) are given based on an all-or-nothing system within each state (except for Nebraska and Maine which use a proportional system.)

In state already leaning heavily towards one candidate, it's assumed that it would be impossible for the opposing candidate to get enough votes in-state to shift the balance toward himself, so any extra votes he receives in that state don't really affect his position.  But in battleground states the race is close enough where either candidate could win, and with that win get many Electoral College votes.  Hence why some people say that votes "count more" if they are in a battleground state.