- Angela Bonnell,
Interim Head of Liaison and Reference Services for Milner Library
NORMAL- Are you ready to let your voice be heard in the upcoming presidential election? If so, remember that simply wanting to vote does not always make you eligible to do so.
Before placing their ballots on Nov. 6, all students must ensure that they are properly registered to vote. This is a common roadblock for ISU students that can keep them from exercising their right to vote if left unattended.
“I think it is very important for young people to vote. Officials need to get information out to students because I didn’t know I had to register again,” Jenna Gernand, senior English major, said.
Like many of her colleagues, Gernand is eager to vote, but was initially unaware that she is required to re-register as a resident of McLean County. If students have previously voted in a different county, they are required to cast an absentee ballot for that county or re-register in order to vote here in Normal.
Students can register to vote on campus at Milner Library today through Oct. 8. Hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. with extended hours on Oct. 9. Students need to bring two forms of ID, including evidence their local address, such as a utility bill or contract of residence.
Eight deputy registrars will be at Milner and others around campus to help students in the registration process. According to Angela Bonnell, deputy registrar and interim head of Reference and Liaison Service, deputy registrars have been providing this service to students since 2004. With each election since, many students have waited until the last possible moment to register.
“In 2004 we had 300 people registering on the last day. Earlier is always better, but we will be here on Oct. 9 from 7 a.m. until around 10 p.m., later if we have to,” Bonnell said.
Another deputy registrar on campus, social sciences librarian Chad Kahl, said that, although there are other ways to register, sometimes the voting information card might not get back to the student in time, among other complications.
“The best thing to do is to get a deputy registrar to register the student,” he said.
Both Bonnell and Kahl understand that students may not be able to register until closer to election day, but they hope to avoid long lines at the last minute.
“Many students will probably be here on Oct. 9. The way to get around that is to come earlier to register,” Kahl said. “But it is better to come the last day than not at all.”
Bonnell and Kahl agree that registering to vote is very important for students. Bonnell believes it is the university’s responsibility to let the students know about the whole voting process.
“For first time voters, or students that have voted before but are new here to the university, we ask them questions and present them with what election day will look like for them. We want to get the best experience for them,” she said.
The registrars will also offer students resources to learn more about local government officials and the presidential candidates. However, registrars cannot say anything about who they are voting for, or speak more positively about one candidate over the other.
Not only can students register at Milner, but also at the Bone Student Center, which will serve asa tentative polling location along with other polling locations around the community. More information can be found at the McLean County Clerk’s Office or through the American Democracy Project, a campus organization that lists different places for registration and voting.
“In 2004 and 2008 there were long lines here on campus on election day. It’s nice to be at this university in this community and to see students coming out to show our democracy, it’s powerful,” Bonnell said.
The following web sites offer more information about registering and voting on election day: http://ilstu.libguides.com/vote, http://americandemocracy.illinoisstate.edu and http://webapp.mcleancountyil.gov/webapps/CountyClerk/Voter_Info.aspx.