Story County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Lucy Martin has a new plan for student
voting. For the upcoming General Election, in lieu of the traditional satellite voting sites, often
established by petition, she is replicating the in-office voting experience at the Memorial Union.
“Immediately following the presidential election in 2012, I knew I had to think of new ways to
deliver election services to the university demographic. A young, mobile population of first-time
voters poses a unique set of challenges. I first sat down with ISU administrators in January of
2013 to discuss options. I provided them with information about the popularity of on-campus
early voting as well as Election Day registration numbers in student-heavy precincts.
ISU was very welcoming of my ideas. Both the administration and the Memorial Union folks
have gone the extra mile to make this happen. I particularly want to thank Warren Madden,
Paul Tanaka, Margie Tabor, Corey Williamson, Seth Dohrn, and Jennifer Lohrbach for meeting
with me and my staff to iron out the thousands of necessary details.
The university considered several different sites on campus and settled on the Memorial Union.
In the MU, the university can offer the necessary security and high-speed internet access for me
to duplicate the in-person voting experience of the Auditor’s Office.
I want to try new things in this election cycle so they can be refined and expanded for 2016
when the ISU population and voter turnout will both be greater,” said Martin.
During the week of October 13-17, absentee voting and voter registration will be available in the Colonel Pride Lounge of the Memorial Union, every day from 9 am to 4 pm.
“The plan is to reach as many students as possible. Students can register to vote or update an existing registration. Casting an absentee ballot will be just like voting in my office in Nevada, minus the commute.”
The General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014. The pre-registration deadline is
Saturday, October 25, 2014.
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