Voting locations for Ames City Council elections will be set up throughout campus for student convenience next Tuesday. 

Voting locations include Hawthorn Cafe, Maple Hall, Union Drive Community Center and Parks Library. Polls open at 7 a.m. and  close at

8 p.m.

“Student participation in local elections has been in the single digits,” said Lucy Martin, auditor and commissioner of elections for Story County.

Students living off campus will have different voting locations depending on their precinct. Precincts are a district marked out for governmental or administrative purposes.

The Auditor’s Office of Story County explained what voters must do in order to participate in the election.

Absentee ballots are available for those who are not able to vote on Election Day. Ames citizens can vote early at the Story County auditor’s office located in Nevada. The deadline for early voting is Friday Nov. 1.

Registration can be filled out at each polling location. Students must be a U.S. citizen to participate in elections.

To register, students will need to bring a form of identification. This could be a driver’s license or passport; the identification must have an expiration date to be considered valid.

Student’s ISUCards will not work as a form of identification.

Voters will also need to bring a proof of residency. This could be a printed copy of a U-Bill or a utility bill. Proof of residency can be any document that includes name and current address.

The form of residency must be a paper document. Electronic versions of cellphone bills will not be acceptable at polling locations.

The ballot includes candidates for mayor and Ames City Council.

“We don’t see the crowds for local elections, like we do for federal elections,” Martin said. “We typically have a turn out between 12 to 20 percent for city elections.”

These numbers are to be expected. Local elections tend to draw in smaller crowds. In 2011, the city elections in Story country had a 13 percent county turnout, according to the Story County Auditors Office.

“Students don’t think the issues affect them, or it’s just a local election.” Martin said.

Polling locations will be fully staffed in case there is a large turnout. Voters should expect a quick-stop to cast their vote, as long lines are not expected for local elections.

Since local elections have small ballots and smaller turnouts, results will be given very quickly. Story County candidates need the majority, more than 50 percent, to win office. If results are too close, runoff elections will be Dec. 3.