DeKalb County Clerk Sharon Holmes said voter turnout for Tuesday’s election hovered somewhere around 22 percent for the county.

“From the election that it was, 22 percent isn’t bad,” Holmes said. “That is pretty good for the election because in a lot of the areas, there weren’t any races, and when there aren’t any races, people don’t come out to vote.”

The number of students who turned out, however, was low, Holmes said. In the four university precincts, 21 votes were cast with Lincoln Hall having five, Douglas Hall having eight, Grant Hall having five and Stevenson having three. Holmes said the numbers are not uncharacteristic of previous local elections.

“That’s about normal for this kind of election for the students.”
While the residence halls could only muster 21 votes, students exercised several different reasons for not voting.

“I didn’t vote,” said senior biology major Crystal Verdick. “I don’t live in DeKalb, and I don’t think it’s fair for me to vote for something I don’t feel the effects of.”
Others pleaded ignorance.

Cassandra Jorden, sophomore elementary education major, didn’t know there was an election Tuesday.

“I just found out by looking at these pictures right here,” Jorden said, as she pointed at a campaign flyer on a nearby table in Neptune East.

And Jorden wasn’t the only one who felt left in the dark.

“I didn’t vote because I didn’t know anyone, and I’m not registered [in DeKalb],” said sophomore English major Kim Burton.

Not being registered was not the only problem that helped contribute to low student voter turnout.
Crystal Snow, senior operations management and information systems major, said she didn’t have time to vote Tuesday.

“I just didn’t know where to vote,” she said. “I just didn’t have the time or the energy to find out where.”

Brent Keller, former Student Association president and current 7th ward alderman, was generally happy with the number of people who attended the polls in DeKalb County.
“I think it was a pretty healthy turnout,” Keller said, “I was glad to see it.”

Keller stressed the importance of local government. He remarked that students and residents should recognize its importance and how it effects them. He believes the candidates did a good job this year of generating interest in the election. Keller said he is anxious to start working with the elected candidates and to serve DeKalb.

“I think they will all serve the town very well, and I look forward to working with them,” Keller said.

Editor’s Note: Campus Editor John Ranallo contributed to this article.

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