Students volunteer at polls

Senior Angel Rivera, president of the IU College Republicans, said students within the organization voted. But some, including Rivera, voted two or three weeks ago at the Monroe County Clerk's office in order to volunteer at the polls. Rivera has volunteered for the past three years and the College Republicans have volunteered at every election in Monroe County.\n"The work that we do on Election Day is very important as a College Republican because the things that people learn here they will take back to their home town," Rivera said.\nFreshman Olivia Dole, who cast her vote at Read Center, said the election was a good opportunity for her to get involved in local government as a freshman. \n"It seems the candidates are very competitive with a lot of signs everywhere," Dole said. "It seems a lot more competitive than where I am from."\nSenior Laura Walda, administrative vice president of College Democrats, said volunteering on Election Day makes her feel she is helping candidates make a positive impact in the community.\nWalda and members of College Democrats visited Resident Halls to distribute election information to students and to explain why it is important for students to become involved in local politics. \n"It is an incredibly important experience and it is exciting," Walda said. "It is incredible to see the time, care and love these candidates have for the City of Bloomington."\nRivera said the College Republicans had volunteers driving students to the polls and called students who are registered reminding them to vote. Some of the volunteers had been working since early Tuesday morning.\nWalda stressed to students the impact local politics can have on their lives.\n"No matter where a person is from, it is a valuable experience to see how the political process actually works," Walda said.