NORMAL - Twin City college students traditionally haven't been too interested in local elections, but that may change somewhat this year, election watchers say. | Election HQ: Stories, candidate bios | Find your polling place | Turnout: What to expect

Turnout may inch up because seven candidates have ties to local colleges and universities and campus efforts have encouraged voter registration, they say. Still, student numbers are expected to be relatively small.

"While I hope this election is different, in consolidated elections (for local offices) we don't have very many students at the polls," said Peggy Ann Milton, McLean County Clerk.

Normal's Precinct 8, which includes most ISU student housing, had only 34 voters turn out in the 2005 local elections. Roughly 2,700 college students were registered in the precinct at the time, Milton said.

Today, about 3,400 are registered in that dorm-heavy precinct, thanks in part to the aftermath of last fall's presidential race. An ISU student-led voter drive aims to double that 2005 turnout to 70 students this year, said Cassi Lund, an ISU student involved in that drive.

Recapturing part of the last fall's enthusiasm has been an uphill battle, she said. With campus figures in the mix, though, she's hoping for more student turnout.

Five people from ISU are campaigning: Scott Preston, an ISU junior, is among Normal City Council candidates; Andrew Matthews, an ISU academic adviser is challenging incumbent Normal Mayor Chris Koos; and Jennifer McDade, who teaches communication at ISU, is unopposed for a Bloomington council seat. Two candidates for the Heartland Community College Board also work at ISU: John Copes, who serves as a building operating engineer; and Craig Gatto, who teaches biology.

A third trustee candidate for that college's board also has ties to Heartland. Terry Baggett taught at Heartland for a decade.

And in the Bloomington mayoral race, Tari Renner, who teaches political science at Illinois Wesleyan University, is one of two challengers (along with Eric DeCossas) facing incumbent Mayor Steve Stockton.

A slight increase in student voting today is possible, said Bob Bradley, an ISU politics professor, given the interest in those races.

Students should take more interest in local politics, Bradley said, noting affordable off-campus housing, parking regulations, uptown Normal development are town issues that affect students.

"There are a lot of local issues that directly affect students every day," said Katie Damm, 22, an ISU sociology student involved in Students for Power in Normal, a group that has encouraged students to see the value of voting locally.

Last fall, SPIN members signed up nearly 450 students as local voters. This spring, the group has met with both mayoral candidates to talk about issues important to them, and SPIN started a Facebook group to spread its message.

"If the candidates could motivate just a small group of students, they might see an impact," said Steve Hunt, who leads the Political Engagement Project at ISU.

In the 2005 Normal mayoral election, for example, Jeff Fritzen lost to Chris Koos by roughly 200 votes. And nearly 3,500 ISU students are registered to vote in Normal.

Bradley said ISU's participation in the nationwide American Democracy Project also has encouraged students to be civically active. ISU has been involved for five years in the program, and it and Heartland Community College are among a handful of campuses involved in the spin-off Political Engagement Project.

Lund said her group's voter drive thrived in the fall, the initiative didn't see as much interest this spring, Lund said. The approach of finals and graduation helped draw attention away from politics, she said.

Also most of the 20,000 students at ISU and 2,200 at IWU who do register to vote do so in their hometowns, and Milton said that is fine.

"They should go where their heart is," Milton said.

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Casting ballots

Hours: Polling places are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. today.

Candidates: Residents will cast ballots in contested mayoral races in Bloomington and Normal, as well as a range of other contests for mayor, city council, township officials, school boards, community college trustees and regional school board trustees.

Information: In Bloomington, contact the Bloomington Election Commission, (309) 888-5136. Polling place listings are available at http://www.becvote.org/pollingplaces.htm

For Normal and McLean County residents, contact the McLean County Clerk's office at (309) 888-5190. Polling place listings are at http://www.co.mclean.il.us/CountyClerk/PollingPlaceList.aspx

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Turning out to vote

Voter turnout in McLean County tends to be higher for general elections when voters elect a president or governor. When it comes to mayors, councils and school boards, people don't come to the polls as much. Chart shows percentages of registered voters who actually voted in past elections.

General elections

McLean County……..City of Bloomington

2000

59 percent……..70 percent

2002

50 percent……..47.5 percent

2004

73 percent……..76 percent

2008

73 percent……..80 percent

Consolidated/local elections

2001

18 percent……..15 percent

2003

24.5 percent……..10 percent

2005

49 percent……..13 percent