BLOOMINGTON - The red-hot interest in politics that sparked nearly 70 percent of McLean County's voters to go to the polls in November seems to have cooled significantly as attention shifts from picking presidents to choosing local officeholders.

"Unfortunately, we can tell already by the number of voter registration cards that are coming in that the interest has dropped. And the phones aren't ringing off the hook like they were last year," said McLean County Clerk Peggy Ann Milton.

Numbers illustrate Milton's point.

In January 2008, the office handled 2,041 voter registrations that included new voters and address and name changes. This year, that number shrank to 524.

While Milton is dismayed by the decrease in interest, she is not surprised by it.

"We see real enthusiasm during the general elections. Unfortunately people don't get as excited by the consolidated elections. The presidential election gets people going, then it just drops off," said Milton, whose office supervises countywide elections.

The dismal showing for the recent Republican primary in Bloomington - 1,145 of 35,439 eligible voters cast ballots for a 3.23 percent turnout - is disheartening for everyone involved, said Stephen Brokaw, a former worker with the Obama presidential campaign who is managing Normal Mayor Chris Koos' re-election bid.

"The deep irony is that local elections have a much more direct impact on the lives of people in Bloomington-Normal," said Brokaw, 25, a Twin City native who plans to attend law school in the fall.

On the flip side, Zack Gilbert used to follow his mother around the Statehouse in her job with the Illinois House clerk's office. Now 35, he teaches sixth-grade social studies at Parkside Junior High School in Normal.

Part of Gilbert's lesson plan is urging students to learn everything they can about how government works.

"We need to make kids feel they have a voice and a say in things," said Gilbert, who encouraged students to accompany their parents to the polls in November.

Guy Hanna, a Republican precinct committeeman from Bloomington, said there is a role for nearly everyone in the political process.

"Once they begin to contribute and see their own value they usually volunteer more. This is when they begin to develop, to learn about the political process," said Hanna, a volunteer for the former presidential campaign of Rudy Giuliani.