Students voting in the presidential primary election today in Charleston will also vote in the Coles County election as well.

Two Republican candidates are looking to unseat Coles County State’s Attorney Steve Ferguson, Democrat, in the November election.

Humboldt resident and former Cole’s County assistant state’s attorney Duane Deters and former judge and Coles County State’s Attorney Paul Komada are both vying for the Republican nomination.

Deters, who currently is currently a prosecutor in Macon County, said he is the most interested in the job.

He doesn’t want to change personnel in the office, but wants to change the way it is run.

“Each prosecutor has their own set area (to prosecute),” Deters said. “Very rarely do they go outside that area.”

When a new prosecutor is hired in the state’s attorney office they need to come in as an expert in a field, he said.

Deters is proposing to start cross training so all areas are covered.

Other proposals Deters is suggesting is increase communication between law enforcement agencies, and paying closer attention to defendants so they only spend 60 days in prison and not nine months when waiting for trial.

Koomada said he is “totally familiar” with the system previously serving as a judge and state’s attorney. He also was a defense attorney.

“The primary thing is to screen the cases carefully,” he said. ” If a defendant does not plead guilty take them to trial instead of reducing (charges) as they do these days.”

He said he would look to raise the assistant state’s attorneys salaries as they “earn less than a secretary.”

The county won’t get the more talented attorneys, he added.

Running unopposed in the Green Party is Charleston attorney Todd Reardon.

Students who vote

Eastern is a part of three precincts: 15, 16 and 17.

Precincts 16 and 17 represent the majority of campus will vote in the Bridge Lounge of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. Residents of Lincoln, Douglas and Stevenson halls, which are part of precinct 15, can vote at the Newman Catholic Center, 500 Roosevelt Ave.

Sue Rennels, Coles County Clerk and Recorder, said potential voters should bring their voter identification card or some type of picture ID.

Rennels said there is a higher interest in this election for Eastern students.

During the 2004 Presidential Primary Election over 1,000 students were registered to vote and only 10 ballots were cast, she said.

The primaries were moved up six weeks earlier this year though.

Voter registration is closed 27 days prior to the election and the office received voter applications until Monday.

Rennels said the packet had at least 30 completed voter registration forms from students completed in November.

Those applicants will not be able to vote in the election because they were received past deadline.

“Kids are going to think they are registered,” Rennels said.

The day before the registration deadline she received a packet of over 200 registrations, some dated in October, she added.

Rennels suggested when students register to vote they should do it in person to make sure they can vote in the elections and when voter registration drives occur applications should be brought in right away.

Matt Hopf can be reached at 581-7945 or at mthopf@eiu.edu.