Tuesday, registered voters in Ames will have an opportunity to make local government more accountable and more reflective of the population. It has been all over the Daily and campus, and is commonly referred to as “Vote for 2” and “Vote ‘yes’ on April 5.”

This is a good opportunity both for Iowa State students and for the rest of the Ames community. Its central aim is to give tangible expression to the “One Community” concept everyone is talking about. Tomorrow’s vote is about putting mere words into action.

And this action, as described by www.votefor2.org, is critically important for ISU students to undertake. Unlike most tasks of this significance, the work involved is easy and painless. All it takes is a simple vote! It’s a simple fix for a big problem.

The most obvious manifestation are the anti-student policies established by city government. One example is the alternate-side street parking law — a predatory act that extracts money mainly from those with low disposable income and no political representation.

A couple years ago, the City Council passed a couch ordinance targeting students. It was so specifically crafted that even Ames Mayor Ted Tedesco vetoed it, noting its obviously discriminatory character. City Council members knew that, with four-year term lengths, they could get away with it.

The fact Tedesco vetoed the couch ordinance is significant. One must understand his own view of students. He says “there is nothing against a student running now.” Obvious to students, the idea of running for City Council isn’t exactly “tossed around” as an 18-year-old freshman. Even assuming political consciousness, there are too many uncertainties at that time, and the four-year commitment is too great.

The unconscious admission in Tedesco’s statement is that he, frankly, lacks even a basic understanding of the struggles and aspirations of incoming students. Yet he is the one who vetoed the anti-student couch ordinance? This contrast serves to highlight the fundamental inability of City Council members to accurately represent ISU students under four-year terms.

This vote is about providing an opportunity for students to take a role in the political process. It is about making government more accountable, and that is a good thing. As it stands, more than half of Ames residents lack strong political representation.

Imagine how all of the non-student residents would feel being represented by a handful of ISU students.

Imagine even further if the political process were engineered in such a way as to exclude non-student residents. Naturally, they would feel disenfranchised and concentrate their political contempt on the student-run City Council.

And who could blame them? Students would be just as bad at representing non-students as our current makeup performs. It doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t work and it must change.

Voting “yes” on April 5 is a step in the right direction. It will make city government more accountable to all residents, which is undeniably good. It will not ensure appropriate student representation on City Council, but it will open up the possibility. And that possibility represents the hope, honesty and good faith that every community should hold in high regard.

Voting locations will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Registered voters can vote at their normal precincts during those hours. The Web site www.votefor2.org has all of the necessary information, including reasons to vote and where to do so.

When Tuesday comes, take the time to “Vote for 2.”