Six months ago all the experts said that the Democratic and Republican races would be decided on Super Tuesday. The fact that the race for the Democratic nomination is neck-and-neck suggests two things: That even "experts" are often wrong, and that today should be a very interesting day.

Throughout the state polls are open so that you can place your vote for either the Democratic or Republican nomination. Democrats are vying for 92 delegates and the Republicans for 40 delegates.

Mitt Romney's withdrawal from the race two weeks ago nearly solidifies John McCain's nomination as the Republican Party's candidate. Sure, Mike Huckabee's numbers are climbing but frankly they had nowhere to go but up.

To date, the New York Times estimates Mike Huckabee has 198 pledged delegates, while McCain has grabbed 808. The Republican candidate will need 1,191 delegates to win the nomination.

It's all but certain that McCain will win the GOP nomination, what's not certain is how McCain will unite the party once nominated.

The Republican Party is currently divided on what the major focus should be: Iraq or the failing economy.

Mitt Romney's withdrawal from the race was a huge act to try to bring the party together, unfortunately that's been the only act to try to bring the party together and McCain may have a hard time convincing all the Republicans that the main issue is continuing our forceful presence in Iraq.

The Democratic Party, on the other hand, is still up for grabs.

To win the Democratic nomination the candidates have to win 2,025 delegate votes. According to the most recent New York Times estimate Clinton has 1,081 pledge delegate and Obama has 1,078.

So who should you vote for?

Answer: Whichever candidate's priorities most align with your values. Personally, I find the current war and prospect for future foreign military force to be our nation's most important issues. You need to pick candidates that will focus on what is most important to you. You must vote for whom you support on the issues, not because of their race, gender or party.

The following is a breakdown of the candidate's stances on the issues taken from their profiles on the Washington Post's Web site.

On abortion, McCain is anti-abortion rights whereas Obama and Clinton are pro-abortion rights. However, where Clinton promises to codify Roe vs. Wade in federal law Obama opposes implementing a federal law.

When it comes to Iraq, McCain takes the "any means necessary" stance and supports keeping the troops there as long as necessary. Clinton and Obama both support the withdrawal of troops. The only difference between the two is that Obama voted against the war since its inception, and Clinton voted for it.

As for the possibility of a future war with Iran, McCain believes military action is an option. Clinton voted for a September 2007 Senate resolution calling on the administration to declare Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, but will not take military action without Congress' support.

Obama, on the other hand, did not vote in the September 2007 resolution, and according to the Post's profile, he will meet with Iranian leaders to reach diplomatic solution to problems in his first year as president.

When it comes to green energy, an issue close to the hearts of many Marquette students, McCain will not support subsidizing alternative energy sources, the Washington Post's Web site said.

Clinton promises to propose a $50 billion fund, paid for by oil companies, to fund investments in alternative energy, would double federal investment in basic energy research and would create a "National Energy Council" within the White House.

Obama proposes a different approach. He supports a bill that would reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, would invest $150 billion in clean energy over 10 years, supports next generation biofuels and would create a Global Energy Forum and re-engage with the United Nations on Climate Change.

In the last presidential election the biggest complaint was that there was not a single, strong candidate. This election is a different story. There are currently three very strong and very different candidates, so make sure you get the polls today.