ISU students must register in Story County by Oct. 28 to vote locally in the upcoming midterm elections.

The election – which includes races for governor, U.S. House of Representatives and the state legislature, as well as other state, county and local offices – is slated for Nov. 7.

Story County Auditor Mary Mosiman said students can pick up registration forms on campus in Parks Library or in most government-run buildings in Ames.

The forms are also available for download, she said, on the county auditor’s Web site. She said any completed form must be mailed to the auditor’s office and postmarked before the October deadline.

Nick Carlstrom, sophomore in mechanical engineering, said he hasn’t registered to vote in Story County.

“I was too young to vote in the 2004 election, and I haven’t gotten around to registering in Story County yet,” Carlstrom said.

He said he thinks students often display an attitude of indifference toward local and state elections.

“I don’t think students are as interested as they should be,” he said. “A lot of my friends were old enough to vote in the last election, but I don’t think any of them did.”

Student activist groups plan to organize events to promote student voting and political participation.

Nathan Brown, campus organizer working with the Government of the Student Body, said the New Voters Project, a campaign that encourages student voting, hopes to register 5,000 new voters at Iowa State.

Brown said increased student voting forces politicians to take notice of issues that are especially important to students.

“Our main goal with this campaign, besides the intrinsic value of getting students into the democratic process, is to get politicians to pay attention to issues that matter to students,” he said.

Mosiman said students who are already registered in Story County but have changed addresses since last year should vote in the precinct they currently live in.

“If you want your vote to count, vote in the precinct where you are currently living,” she said. “You might not be on that roster, but the workers will verify where you are from. You’ll fill out a short form, then you’ll vote as usual.”

She said students who wish to vote absentee may request ballots beginning Sept. 28.

Of the 43 polling locations in Story County, Mosiman said 20 are located in Ames.