The presidential election last fall included one of the greatest pushes of the youth vote of all time. One year later, city election officials are waiting to see if a similar youth vote will turn out.

In the 2008 elections, 17 percent of the voters in Iowa fell within the 18 – 29 age bracket, according to CNN.com.

On the Nov. 3 ballot, Ames residents will be voting for mayor, City Council representatives and hospital trustee positions, and two public measures.

City council election guide

To further encourage young voter turnout, the county has set up several campus-area polling locations and will offer same-day voter registration from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. the night of elections.

Many uncertainties have been connected to the youth vote, whose numbers typically fall during local election seasons, said Steffen Schmidt, university professor of political science.

“Turnout in local elections is often, overall, very weak. Turnout by young voters and by college students is even lower than the average,” he said. “One problem is that college students are often not living in their hometowns or even their states. So, if they are registered to vote, it may be in their original places of residence. They can register in their college towns, but since they often think of themselves as ‘temporary’ residents of the college towns, many students don’t bother.”

A number of students on campus share a sense of detachment to local elections.

“I didn’t even know there were [elections],” said Jacob Van Patten, freshman in world languages and cultures. “Considering I don’t even know the people, it would be a little hard to vote. Had I known the people, yes, I would have voted.”

Outreach from candidates and county election officials to involve college students in the elections has taken different approaches. Story County has used the Internet to highlight candidates on its Web site, which also includes step-by-step guides to finding a polling location and how to register. The county also relied on sending out e-mail reminders to ISU students to highlight the impact their votes have.

On Oct. 5, the Government of the Student Body hosted a forum with the Ames City Council candidates. A question-and-answer session allowed students to voice concerns and ask questions of the candidates. Additional information on GSB’s Web site assists students in voter registration.

The outreach from the city and university may not have had the desired effects, as many students feel uneducated about candidates.

“Unfortunately, I will not be voting in this week’s local elections,” said Julie Orris, senior in elementary education. “When I vote, I like to be an informed voter, and I have not done enough research into these elections to feel comfortable voting. I’m not from here either, so I have no clue about local politics, which means I would have to do a lot of researching.”

Until Election Day, city and county officials will continue to push students to participate in voting, and not until voter statistics are released will the impact of their efforts be known. A greater use of the Internet has helped connect the youth voters, but some believe more can still be done.

“I think intensive voting education, voter registration and voter turnout efforts, voting dances, band events or parties where you can attend only if you voted — even prizes and drawings for voting — are a good idea, but not done very often,” Schmidt said.

Precinct locations in Ames

Ames W1P1 — State Forest Nursery, 2404 S. Duff Ave.

Ames W1P2 — Human Services Center, 126 S. Kellogg Ave.

Ames W1P3 — Ames Public Library, Auditorium, 515 Douglas Ave.

Ames W1P4 — St. Paul Lutheran Church, 610 15th St.

Ames W1P5 — Heartland Baptist Church, 3504 Grand Ave.

Ames W2P1 — Bethesda Lutheran Church, 1517 Northwestern Ave.

Ames W2P2 — Frederiksen Court, Hawthorn Market & Cafe, ISU campus

Ames W2P3 — St. Cecilia Catholic Church, 2900 Hoover Ave. room 537

Ames W2P4 — Stonebrook Community Church, 3611 Eisenhower Ave.

Ames W2P5 — Somerset Clubhouse, 2400 Aspen Road

Ames W3P1 — Willow Creek Church, 1114 S. Dakota Ave.

Ames W3P2 — Memorial Lutheran Church, 2228 Lincoln Way

Ames W3P4 — Actors Building, 120 Abraham Drive

Ames W3P5 — University Baptist Church, 2400 Mortensen Road

Ames W4P1 — St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 209 Colorado Ave.

Ames W4P2 — Trinity Christian Reformed Church, 3626 Ontario St.

Ames W4P3 — Collegiate Presbyterian Church, 159 Sheldon Ave.

Ames W4P4 — Maple Hall, conference room M01B, ISU campus

Ames W4P5 — Union Drive Community Center room 136, ISU campus

— Information courtesy the Story County Auditor’s Web site

What to bring when you vote

Documents that can be used for proof of identity (choose one):

Valid Iowa driver’s license or ID card

Out-of-state driver’s license or ID card

U.S. passport or U.S. military ID card

ID card used by an employer

Student ID card issued by an Iowa high school or college

— Information courtesy of the Iowa Secretary of State’s office