As the Ames city election draws near, candidates are wrapping up their campaign efforts and are eager to see the results of their hard work.

Candidates for City Council have been spreading their campaign ideas door to door throughout all the wards, hoping to get their visions across to Ames residents.

“Basically, I am still getting out and talking to people, going door to door,” said Jeremy Davis, 3rd Ward candidate. “The biggest challenge has been finding people at home, but mostly people have been really receptive.”

Ryan Doll, 3rd Ward candidate, said after Sunday he had reached his goal of contacting 1,500 homes.

“I’ve spent a lot of time knocking on doors, and now I’m wrapping up what I’ve been trying to do throughout my campaign,” Doll said.

“I’ve also had student volunteers handing out fliers at 500 different apartments.”

Dan Rice, 1st Ward candidate, said he reached about 90 percent of the residents located in his ward. He will continue his efforts throughout Monday, hoping to reach the last 10 percent of the residents.

“My goal is to get to 100 percent of the residential doors in ward one, including all the apartment doors,” Rice said.

“I’m still trying to get my message out to people.”

Robin Habeger, 1st Ward candidate, said she has gone door to door since the first week of October and has reached at least 80 percent of the ward.

“I have been doing it every night after work from about 5 to 6:30 or 7, or until dark, and every weekend for past four weeks for about four hours each day,” she said.

“It has been going very well and I have gotten lots of positive feedback.”

Besides going to door to door, candidates have also employed other means to reach Ames residents.

Davis said he has run advertisements in the Ames Tribune and put signs about the election up around the community.

“I’ve also sent out some postcards through targeted mailing to residents in my ward,” he said.

Habeger said she also employed targeted mailing with postcards, but put a personal touch on each one.

“While I talked to people going door to door I took notes about what we talked about and then sent them a personalized postcard to remind them to vote,” she said.

Through targeted phone calling, Rice said, people communicated the need for change and were very interested in how candidates could make changes.

Doll said throughout his campaign people have also been very approachable and friendly.

“There are still people out there that don’t know about this election, but honestly I don’t know what more we could have done to reach them,” he said

Mayoral candidates Ann Campbell and Jon Shelness were unavailable for comment. Also unavailable were at-large candidates Russ Cross (incumbent) and Jim Popken, and 3rd Ward candidate Daryle Vegge (incumbent).

The mayoral and council election is Tuesday, Nov. 8.

The polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

CITY ELECTION: Ames Polling Locations