Early voting to be held at Union

The Monroe County Election Board has decided to put a voting poll in the middle of the IU campus. \nThe unanimous decision came after Monroe County processed 6,985 new voter registration forms, most of which were from IU students, said Jim Fielder, Monroe County clerk and secretary of the Monroe County Election Board. The forms were processed between April 1 and April 18, he said.\nAlumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union will be designated for voting from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today for anyone who is registered to vote in Monroe County and wants to vote before the May 6 Indiana primary.\nStudents need to bring a student ID or an Indiana driver’s license, Fielder said.\n“We mentioned doing it at Assembly Hall, but volunteers felt (the IMU) was the center of things and a good place to put it,” he said.\n“They’ve done this around the state at other schools,” said senior Tim Granholm, coordinator for the IU chapter of Students for Barack Obama. “From what I’ve heard, it’s had a very high turnout. Students want to vote and want to be heard, and the voting date is after finals.”\nThe voting today is meant for anyone who wants to vote, Republican or Democrat.\n“I think it’s such a big deal because students are very busy,” Granholm said. “It’s an opportunity for students to take 20 to 30 minutes out of their day to do what they want to do. If students turn out in high numbers, they could have a major impact on the election.”\nAlumni Hall was chosen because it has easy access to satellite systems, Fielder said. While voting, one student may vote on the voting machine while two or three others will be able to vote on paper ballots. Voting should only take about a minute if students are voting just for the national elections, but it could take a little longer if they plan to vote for all elected positions, Fielder said.\nIf students can’t vote in Alumni Hall today, they can catch shuttles Monday through Friday, a service organized by Students For Barack Obama. Any voter can ride from their residence hall or the IMU to the Curry building, 290 W. Seventh St., to vote.\n“I was driving a girl back after she voted, and she told me if we hadn’t been running the van, she wouldn’t have done it,” said senior Donnie Biggins, a student who drives a shuttle. “It was pretty cool that we were able to get her out.”\nShuttling students for early voting is a new idea for Students for Barack Obama. No other college campus is providing a shuttle service like this, Biggins said.\nAny student interested in voting for a candidate can catch a shuttle at the IMU every half hour between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Shuttles also arrive at Read Center, Eigenmann Residence Center, Gresham Food Court at Foster Quad and Willkie, Wright and Briscoe Quads.\n“We do pick up anybody who wants to vote,” Granholm said. “We think that every student should vote.”\nIf tomorrow’s turn out is high, another on campus registration day will be considered.\n“We certainly want to see what tomorrow is about. In the past, our poll sitters sit there and maybe two people will come,” Fielder said. “If there’s a good turn out, we will consider it.”