Students may vote in the upcoming run-off election that could result in the first-ever ISU student on the Ames City Council, but despite efforts of a student activist group, they won’t be voting on campus.

Student group ActivUs has advocated for satellite voting on campus for the Dec. 6 run-off election between ISU student Ryan Doll and incumbent Councilman Daryle Vegge to increase student turnout. In the Nov. 8 election, neither candidate for the 3rd Ward seat on the Ames City Council – which represents Campustown and the surrounding area – received 50 percent plus one vote, the requirement to be elected.

“We are currently working to petition to have satellite voting on campus in order to get more student turnout,” said Mara Spooner, president of ActivUs.

According to election results, only 10 percent of registered voters, 1,293 people, cast a ballot in the 3rd Ward race. Doll, senior in political science, received 49 percent of the vote, Vegge received 43 percent and Jeremy Davis, who will not be on the ballot in the run-off, received 8 percent.

Spooner said under normal circumstances, a petition with 100 signatures – if turned in to the auditor 30 days in advance – will get a day of satellite voting in a particular location. Because the run-off will be held less than 30 days after the election, Spooner said she hoped Mary Mosiman, Story County auditor, would make an exception on the time limit.

Satellite voting on campus, however, faces a more serious problem than the time limit.

“There is no petition process for satellite voting for run-off elections,” said Dani Dunham, deputy auditor for elections.

She said even if the run-off were more than 30 days away, state law only allows satellite voting for normal elections. According to section 53.11 of the Iowa Code, satellite voting is only possible in primary or general elections, regular city elections, school board elections and special elections.

Spooner said she hoped the run-off election would increase turnout, saying it is “pretty exciting for this campus and for the city as a whole.”

According to past election results, however, in the 2003 run-off election between at-large Ames City Councilman Matthew Goodman and Mary Ann Lundy, only 10 percent of registered voters cast a ballot, with 12 percent voting in the same race during the regular city election. Still, Spooner said, a student running could energize student voters. Compared to the last 3rd Ward council election in 2001, turnout in 2005 increased nearly 20 percent, from 1,090 to 1,293. “I think it was high in that ward because we had a member of the student body running,” Spooner said.

Until the election, candidates plan to continue campaigning. Doll said he plans to do what he did before – knock on doors and register voters.

“I foresee mailings and a lot more door-knocking,” Vegge said in a previous Daily article of his preparations for the runoff election.