IU political groups work for campus voting sites

There are few issues where Democrats and Republicans can agree.

But with Election Day less than two months away, student organizations on both sides have found common ground: They all want early voting sites on campus before the Nov. 4 elections.

Representatives from Students for Barack Obama, Students for John McCain, College Democrats and College Republicans are making an active effort to become involved in the planning process this fall for voting sites in Monroe County, especially in ensuring IU students are able to get their vote in.

“It’s very difficult for freshmen to get off campus on election days, and we need to make sure every student has a voice in this election,” said Rose Byrne, president of IU Students for Barack Obama.

This afternoon, the county election board will have a routine meeting to discuss issues relating to absentee voting and other topics regarding Election Day in November, said Jim Fielder, secretary of the county election board.

“This is routine of the county election board,” he said. “We’re not setting times, dates yet.”

Despite this, IU College Democrats President Anna Strand points out the importance of attending these smaller routine meetings at the county level.

“I, in general, try to stay abreast with anything in local government,” she said. “These offices have a role in much larger issues like the election.”

Strand and others hope their involvement will help give students the option to vote early on campus.

“It’s important because most of us aren’t able to get to polling locations off campus,” said Chelsea Kane, chairwoman of IU College Republicans. “We have other responsibilities like class on Election Day. Transportation, especially for younger voters and freshmen, is an issue.”

All four organizations point to Indiana State and Purdue as their examples in reasoning for having polling places on campus. Both schools plan to have early voting sites on their campuses in this year’s election.

But funding could be an issue, Strand said. All funds for the sites come from the state election board, and paying for the machines at the sites, as well as training for those who work there, can be costly.

“It’s down to resources,” Kane said. “I believe we need to show them that these resources are worth it.”

The high interest in this year’s election is one of the biggest reasons why these organizations believe it’s especially important for these sites to be on campus.

“Across the board, people are engaged,” Strand said. “This is a year when students care. They want to vote.”