A petition on change.org to restore a campus polling location at the University of Idaho has garnered over 400 signatures.
The petition was started by Nicole Skinner, president of ASUI. Skinner said she thinks of the petition as a tool she can use in talks with the county clerk to show that there are people who would support an on-campus polling place.
Henrianne Westberg | Courtesy
Henrianne Westberg, the Latah county clerk, said she is glad students are signing the petition because it shows they are being civically engaged and that they want to vote, but said she isn’t sure what steps are going to be taken next.
“I don’t know that we will restore the campus polling location, reason being, it can be very inaccessible for people who aren’t students. Other people in that precinct have to vote there,” Westberg said.
Westberg said other alternatives are being explored. She said she plans to add at least one, possibly two other polling locations that would be closer to campus. She also encouraged students to take advantage of the Latah County Clerk office by going there to register and vote early. She said she hopes that if more students vote early, it will help decrease the time spent waiting in line on election days.
Skinner said she is also open to alternative ideas as long as they make it easier for students and community members to vote.
“Even if we decide we can’t do a campus polling location for the upcoming election I do think closer community polling locations would be helpful to students,” Skinner said. “So, I am an advocate of adding polling locations in general because at the end of the day, it is about more than students. There were a lot of community members who really struggled to vote in this election. I think there needs to be a comprehensive look at how to make voting more accessible for everybody.”
Gavin Green can be reached at [email protected]