Beginning with the March primaries, Northwestern students living on South Campus will vote at Parkes Hall, 1870 Sheridan Road, instead of the Evanston Public Library, Cook County Clerk David Orr said Monday.
“There have been leaders among the administration and the students who have been requesting a move for a long time that the polling place be more central within the precinct,” Orr said. “The bottom line is that these are legitimate requests.”
Students make up the majority of the Sixth Precinct in the First Ward, one of the largest precincts in Cook County, and student turnout can be as high as 1,500 in a given election, Orr said.
“It seems only logical in deciding a polling place that, if you have one that caters to 50 voters or one that caters to 5,000 votes, you want the one for 5,000,” said Jake Reitan, a Speech sophomore who has been working on election reform. “(The clerk’s office) just needed a final push for something that they’ve been trying to get done.”
The Cook County Clerk’s Office had considered a Kellogg Graduate School of Management building as a possible polling location but chose Parkes Hall because it is more accessible to voters who do not live on campus.
“The Kellogg location is not as centrally located as this one and it would be more of a burden on non-student voters,” said Scott Burnham, communications director at the clerk’s office.
The new polling site is located almost exactly in the middle of the precinct, Orr said.
The added convenience of the campus polling place could motivate more students to vote, said Associated Student Government External Relations chairwoman Jada Black.
“Even though it’s not significantly closer distance-wise … they’re able to stop by and vote on their way to have dinner,” said Black, a Medill junior. “It’s a great step forward and I hope students take advantage of the closer polling place to participate in the election and make their opinions known.”
The Cook County Clerk’s Office also changed the polling locations for North Campus so all dorm residents vote at Patten Gym. Residents of several North Campus dorms had voted at Kendall College.
ASG senators passed a bill earlier this quarter calling for the two polling place changes and a push for student voter registration.
This week, students can register to vote at Norris University Center and will be able to register at the Technological Institute next week.
“It’s important that individuals register to vote in Evanston because that increases the student vote and voice, which helps with student initiatives, such as more lighting on campus,” Reitan said. “I doubt many people are voting in the March election in their respective home states.”
Students have had difficulties voting in Evanston elections over the past two years. In the 2001 aldermanic election, some North Campus students said they were confused about where to vote because residents of Delta Chi fraternity house, 600 Lincoln St., Hinman House and Elder Hall had to vote at Kendall College.
South Campus residents had to wait in line for several hours during the 2000 presidential election to cast their votes at the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave.
In April, Kellogg Prof. Allan Drebin lost his bid for First Ward alderman by 57 votes to incumbent Arthur Newman. He has said he supports a more accessible polling place for students.
“If we had even gotten 25 percent (of students to vote), I would have won the election,” Drebin told The Daily last month. “If we are going to encourage students to participate in the electoral process, we have to make it convenient for them.”
Despite past inconveniences, Orr said he hopes the new location will encourage student participation.
“The more democratic experiences the students can have, the better for all of us,” he said.
