Voter registration

There are a lot of things I miss and am going to miss about IU in the fall.

Students urging everyone to register to vote in Monroe County isn’t one of them.

Though IU students technically reside in Bloomington for more than half the year, many of us aren’t really Bloomington residents — we’re IU residents. People in dorms and Greek houses on campus can go entire semesters without stepping foot off IU grounds except for a fun meal out on Kirkwood or Fourth Street or a trip to the College Mall.

I’d wager that even many students who live off campus, and thus interact with the Bloomington community a bit more — even if it’s just at the grocery store — don’t necessarily know Bloomington. As students, we really see a small part of it. We’re part of the IU community, but many of us are not part of the Bloomington community.

Anyone who reads the Indiana Daily Student somewhat knows that the Bloomington mayor is Mark Kruzan, and that the Bloomington school systems are experiencing some difficulties. But beyond that, a lot of students know very little about Bloomington politics or needs.

This makes it even more annoying when students constantly urge others to register to vote in Monroe County.

Many students do. My J200 professor, Owen Johnson, assigned our class to visit polling areas on Election Day two years ago and write an article. I went to Teter Quad — fairly early, because I had a morning class — and was stunned to learn that the line was already two hours long. Either they wanted the real voting experience because the 2008 election was their first chance to vote, or they’d been convinced to change their registration.

What I don’t understand is why whatever group that was sending student volunteers out to harass people for a month wanted students to register in Monroe County. Sure, IU’s population could add significantly to Bloomington’s and get the city more resources. But a lot of those students were uninformed. They would either vote and just choose someone they didn’t know, either by party or by the way the names sounded, or they would just vote for president and maybe a couple others and leave the Bloomington slots empty.

I chose to stick with my hometown registration. Indianapolis (Marion County) had a couple local elections I wanted my say in, and I know Indy politics better than I know Bloomington politics.

I feel a little bad for snapping at people who came up to me asking for my vote, but I’d had enough. Not only do I think it’s unwise for people to vote in regional politics when they don’t know the region, but I was tired of being harassed. They had students stationed at all entrances to the Arboretum, which I cut through to get to several of my classes, so I’d often get hit up multiple times a day. By the time someone interrupted my friend and I when we were eating at Willkie, I’d had it.

Advice to anyone volunteering to get people to switch their registration — there’s a fine line between doing your job and harassing people. And with a force of volunteers out every day at strategic points around campus, you’re going to see a lot of people. Most of those people have already been talked at, possibly even already that day. At some point, you’re just going to upset people off.

I voted with an absentee ballot two years ago, and when I saw the line at Teter, I was glad. I had only wanted to vote in three races, and hitting the polls at 6 a.m. to place my vote at 8 a.m. probably wouldn’t have been worth it. I didn’t get the “poll experience,” but I have the rest of my life for that.

This year, I’ve decided to get an overseas ballot. It may or may not get here and it may or may not get counted (I know the dangers of overseas ballots), but there are elections I’d like to vote in.

And again, they’re not in Bloomington; my ballot will come from Marion County. It’s where I grew up; it’s the city I know and care about. Those are the elections that affect me.

Because, let’s be honest. I spent the last two years on campus, only leaving for the occasional meal or trip to the mall. I’m not a Bloomington resident. I’m an IU resident.


E-mail: hanns@indiana.edu