Time to Vote

Bloomington voters will notice only minor changes to the voting process today as registered voters head to the polls.\nThe polling sites in Bloomington will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. today at various locations across campus and Monroe County.\nStudents who have registered to vote may do so at the polling place which corresponds with their district. \nVoting will take place at Foster, Willkie, Teter and Briscoe Quads, Read Center, Assembly Hall South Lobby, University School gym lobby and other sites.\nPolling places will function in the same way they have in the past, Monroe County Elections Supervisor Tara Stogsdill said. \n"The only thing that is going to be new is that clerks will ask for a driver's license number or the last four digits of the social security number," Stogsdill said.\nPolitical Science Clinical Assistant Professor Christine Barbour said she encourages students to make it to the polls today.\n"If you don't vote, your interests don't get heard. If your interests don't get heard you can't complain if your interests don't get attended to," Barbour said.\nShe said she hopes that efforts by INPIRG and Democratic get-out-the-vote drives will help bring people to the polls.\nVoters will have several selections to make on this year's ballot.\nBloomington's Mayor John Fernandez (Dem.) is running a highly contested race for Secretary of State against Todd Rokita (Rep.) and Rebecca Sink-Burris (Lib.), who is also from Bloomington.\nVoters may cast their ballot for Connie K. Nass (Rep.), Barbara Huston (Dem.) or Bruce Parisi (Lib.) as Auditor of State, and Day Smith (Dem.), Sam Goldstein (Lib.) or Tim Berry, (Rep.) as Treasurer of State.\nThere are two U.S. Representative districts within Monroe County. Voters in the 9th District will choose between Baron P. Hill (Dem.), Jeff Melton (Green), Al Cox (Lib.) and Mike Sodrel (Rep.). 4th District voters can select Bill Abbott (Dem.), Jerry L. Susong (Lib.) or Steve Buyer (Rep.). \nState representative positions are up for election as well, in both District 60 and 61. District 60 voters can select Peggy Welch (Dem.), Jim Billingsley (Lib.) or L. David Sabbagh (Rep.). District 61 candidates are Matt Pierce (Dem.) and Clark Brittain (Lib.).\nVoters can also choose Patrick M. Schrems (Dem.) or Carl A. Salzmann (Rep.) as Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney.\nCounty council positions and other county offices will be on the ballot as well.\nVoting in Bloomington will be a new experience for many underclassmen this fall, and some said they are not planning to vote at all.\n"I just never went and registered," freshman Andrea Holbrook said. "My voting wouldn't be right, it wouldn't be very fair, because I don't know which side to vote for."\nFreshman Becky Brown said she won't be voting tomorrow because she voted in her hometown election in Jennings County.\n"I actually registered to vote in my hometown and voted by absentee ballot," Brown said. "I figured it would be better to vote where I knew the views and the issues rather than choosing randomly." \nYoung voter rates are low because those voters don't feel the issues apply to them, Barbour said. Because the turnout rates are low, politicians don't direct their issues to young voters, so it creates a complicated circle, she said.\nFor voting questions, call the Monroe County Clerk's Office at 349-2600.