There was a slim margin voting at the Maple-Willow-Larch residence halls Tuesday as the Ames City Council elections were being decided citywide.

“You want to know how many we’ve had? Five [votes]. And if we get another five by the time we close, we’ll be doing good,” said Ruth Meyer, administrator of the precinct and resident of Ames.

Meyer said this was the third year she has worked the voter registration table, and the turnout this year has been comparable to other years. She said because most students come from outside of the Ames district, they may not know about certain candidates and their stances.

“If you’re from another state, how interested are you going to be in a City Council that you don’t know anything about?” she said.

Renuka Panigrahy, of Ames, worked the administrator table along with Meyer. This is her second year working the administrator of the precinct table, and she said the turnout was comparable to the last City Council election. However, there have been exponentially more student voters for the 2004 presidential election, she said.

Although there was a lack of voters, there was not a lack of students in Maple-Willow-Larch. As students milled by the voting station, either going to eat, to class or to their daily routines, most didn’t attention to the voting station.

“I don’t really listen to the TV or the radio or pay attention to much of anything going on outside of the campus,” said Stephanie Giesche, freshman in pre-business.

Some students were not cognizant of the ease of voter registration available to them, as some where confused about coming from another area and attending Iowa State.

“I am not a resident of Ames and I don’t feel that I have paid enough attention to the issues to make an well-informed decision,” said Matthew Sullivan, freshman in computer engineering.

Some students said because they were busy with classes and life, they have not had a chance to register or vote.

“No, I didn’t vote. I just haven’t had time. I’m knowledgeable, but when you cannot even find five minutes to call someone, that is how it is,” said Amy Wertz, sophomore in pre-business.

Some said they had simply come down with a case of political indecision, and others simply decided to waive their right to vote.

“I’m thinking about it, but probably not,” said Steven Combs, freshman in liberal arts and sciences-open option. “But I don’t know.”