Louis Kishkunas, president of the ISU College Republicans, said he is not the average ISU student.

“I’m a big geek. I’m not normal at all,” Kishkunas said. “Who else would skip classes to sit here?”

Here, for Kishkunas, was actually two Story County polling locations, where he spent most of Election Day poll watching.

Since the school year began, he has also spent an average of 20 hours a week volunteering for the Republican Party.

After a quick shower and breakfast, Kishkunas dressed in his self-proclaimed “victory suit” and received his polling assignment from the office of U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa. His first assignment would be monitoring the Richland precinct, located just southeast of Nevada.

At 1 p.m., right before Kishkunas’ departure for his second poll, there had been 64 voters in the machine-shed-turned-polling-place that four elderly workers and himself monitored.

One of the four, Marge Toot, has been working at Story County polls since 1951, when she turned 21.

Kishkunas’ political life began when he was 8 years old and went with his grandfather to listen to congressional candidate Greg Ganske discuss his campaign.

“From then on, politics became a huge part of my life,” Kishkunas said.

Kishkunas’ next stop after the Richland precinct was a poll near Slater.

“I think Story County will be decided on campus,” Kishkunas predicted.

“We handed out 2,000 Bush stickers in one day. We have had excellent volunteers, and I think the campus is split very close to 50/50.”

After leaving his second poll, Kishkunas said he would spend time at a non-partisan meeting speaking about the importance of voting and then would go to the Gateway Hotel to celebrate at Latham’s campaign party.

“I will enjoy some sparkling apple cider on ice and celebrate a victory,” Kishkunas said.