DeKALB | Multi-colored handbills were scattered across campus today, from in students’ hands to garbage cans.

About 400 votes were cast today in the first of a two-day set of elections for the NIU Student Association Senate.

The judges

Arra and Suzanne Garab have been married for 50 years and say they have been election judges at the Founder’s Memorial Library for at least a decade. Arra was an English professor at NIU for 29 years before he retired in 1995. They said they normally get fewer voters at the library.

“I say [turnout] is low. It’s low all the time,” Arra said. “I’m surprised at the low interest on the part of students because these people are spending their money.”

Another couple ran the polls in DuSable Hall. John and Mary-Ann Smith have been SA election judges for six years. John said students need to be more informed and the SA more involved.

“I think the student association has to make a greater effort to publicize their elections and get their candidates out explaining their positions,” John said. “The students are complaining ‘I don’t know anybody, I don’t want to vote for someone I don’t know.'”

He said about 20 to 30 percent of students he spoke with didn’t know who the candidates were and very few voted for all eight candidates.

The candidates

Throughout the day, candidates and their supporters could be seen handing out multicolored handbills across campus.

Standing in the middle of the MLK Commons Tuesday afternoon, Dion Smith, a candidate for District 3 and CAB president, handed out flyers to students. Smith is in the running for District 3, where there are 13 other candidates. He said this election will show one of the biggest turnouts in recent years and said students should understand that.

Patrick Frierson, also a candidate for District 3, was not having as much luck.

“There’s a lot of students coming through, a lot of the times they won’t say anything to you,” Frierson said. “You get the cold shoulders sometimes but the thing is, stay optimistic and keep pursuing.”

There were 12 campaign infractions throughout the day. The Huskie 8 party no longer can campaign within 300 feet of DuSable and the Holmes Student Center because they left their flyers on bulletin boards in both buildings as well as the buses. Mrugesh, M.P., Patel, a candidate in District 3, did not take his fliers down in DuSable or the student center and also is restricted to 300 feet. Jason Kazmierczak, a candidate for District 5, had his name on one of M.P.’s fliers so he is only restricted from DuSable.

The students

Margaret King, a senior anthropology major, and Katherine Heidtbrink, a senior English major, both have been at NIU for the past four years and don’t know much about the SA. King said she always votes for presidential and local elections, but doesn’t feel its totally necessary to vote for her fellow students.

Other students, like senior psychology major Tyler Volkers, voted because they knew someone who was running. Volkers said if his friend wasn’t running, he would have found out more information regarding the elections and then made his decision to vote.

Junior business major Andrew Gagner voted in the election because he said it was the right thing to do. He said students need to be more active in the voting process, since it is such an important right that people have and is something everyone should do.

Michelle Long, a senior special education major and transfer student from South Dakota, didn’t understand the whole process of the SA because she was new to campus. It wasn’t until one of the candidates came to a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting and explained the whole process of the election before Long had a reason to take part and vote, she said.

There is still one day left in the senate elections. Polls will open again at 9 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. In order to vote, students should remember to bring their NIU OneCard to the polling stations.

Christopher Norman is the Student Association beat reporter and Matthew Rainwater is a Campus Reporter for the Northern Star.