About 6 percent of eligible voters cast ballotsa at on-campus polling sites Tuesday, with light student traffic even in districts dominated by Northwestern housing.
According to precinct workers, Norris University Center and Patten Gym sites, with 400 and 1,313 registered voters respectively, saw about 80 voters combined. AT Parkes Hall, with a 2,010 registered voters spread throughout student housing and parts of downtown Evanston, 161 people voted.
Athletes outnumbered voters at Patten. Election judge Karen Grieg said that while the turnout was low, it was still higher than in recent elections. Grieg said that in March just a single voter cast a ballot in local elections at the site.
Dallas Swift, a McCormick freshman, said he voted because of his views on current events.
“Voting’s more important today because of the immigration issues and the war in Iraq,” Swift said.
Swift said he had no problems using the electronic voting machine on site, and Grieg said there were no problems with the equipment during the day.
The only issue was a low-tech one, Grieg said. If voters had moved more than 30 days ago and had not updated their voter registration information, they could only vote on a federal ballot.
“That’s happened a number of times today, ” she said.
At 2:30 p.m., the election volunteers at the Norris polling site had seen only nine voters. The room was largely empty – a lone voter sat filling in his ballot in an election cubicle.
Volunteer Alan Birman said there was a morning rush of about five voters.
Weinberg senior Rob Delaney, who cast his vote at Norris, said he was surprised by the low turnout. Only a few of his friends had been keeping track of the midterm election coverage, he said.
“A few of my friends have sent in ballots out of state and a few don’t care,” Delaney said.
He added that voting was easy, but that he hadn’t ssen any signs directing him to the polls.
“This time I just remembered where to go,” Delaney said.
Communication junior Angelica Gonzalez echoed his sentiments.
“It was kind of hard to find,” Gonzalez said, “When I walked in the front door I thought there would be signs. I saw a teeny tiny line on the today’s event s sheet.”
She said there should have been more information available to students. Gonzalez said there was nothing on the Norris Web site or HereAndNow.
Evanston resident and volunteer Nikki Loureiro said a sign or banner the day before would have made a difference.
The volunteers attributed the low voter turnout and apathy to a number of factors.
Loureiro said the numbers were disappointing.
“The youth feel like one vote doesn’t count,” she said.
-Staff Reports
