Voters are already making their voices heard in the Evanston municipal elections through early voting, but Northwestern students have yet to participate, a city official said Monday.
As of Saturday night, 801 residents had voted early, said City Clerk Rodney Greene, who said he is pleased with the turnout so far.
“It’s a good number considering it’s a municipality election, which people don’t normally find important,” he said.
The election for Evanston’s next mayor, aldermen and school board members is April 7, but residents, including registered students, can vote now at the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave. Early voting started March 16 and goes until Thursday.
But Greene said he hasn’t seen any NU students at the polls yet.
He urged them to vote early, especially if they already know for whom they are voting.
“You don’t want to wait until it’s too late, because then you may have class or forget,” he said.
NU PicKs, a group that registered students to vote, didn’t focus on early voting, said SESP sophomore Lillian Cheng, but she said she thinks it’s important for busy students.
Students can vote at the Civic Center with a photo ID and proof of Evanston residency.
No polls or early results will be released until the night of election, Greene said.
The clerk advised Evanston residents and students to do so.
“I urge people to vote early because this election will affect them directly,” he said.
