Primary elections begin for Coles County, Eastern students encouraged to vote
Early voting for the 2010 primary elections began Saturday in Coles County, and County Clerk Sue Rennels said this is an option for many who plan to vote.
Voting early eliminates the possibility of not being able to vote at all in the case of poor weather, Rennels said.
“A couple years ago, many people were not able to come out to vote because the weather was so bad,” she said. “I think the only down side to voting early is you cannot change your mind once you have voted.”
Yet, no matter the weather, the Eastern student turnout for the primary elections has historically been low.
“It is usually very low. We usually have more come to the presidential elections which are always the highest turnout,” Rennels said.
If a student is registered, the on-campus polls are located at the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union and at the Newman Center on Roosevelt Avenue.
Positions that will be filled on the Feb. 2 election are seven county board members and the Democrat state central committee member.
All other positions will be filled according to party affiliation and voted into position during the Nov. 2 general election.
Each voter will receive a ballot with candidates for his respective political party; the Democrat Party, the Republican Party and the Green Party, along with other issues appropriate to the voter’s area.
If a voter has no party affiliation, the proposals will be the only items on the ballot.
A “tax swap” is one of the issues that will be listed on the Coles County ballots.
A 1 percent increase may be put on the local sales tax to be put solely toward local school facilities, and this would be in exchange for a decrease in property tax.
A voter can see if he is registered by visiting the Illinois State Board of Elections Web site.
Kayleigh Zyskowski can be reached at 581-7942 or
